Kiwis grow up fishing: virtually everyone seems to have fond memories of long days out on a small boat trailing a line for snapper, if only to stock the beachside barbecue. All around the New Zealand coast , but particularly in the north of the North Island, there are low-key canoe, yacht and launch trips on which there is always time for a little casual fishing , but you'll also find plenty of trips aimed at more dedicated anglers. Most sea trips aim to land something of modest size with good flavour: snapper, kahawai, moki and flounder being common catches. Bigger boats might hope for hapuku, then there's a step up to the big-game fishing boats. From December to May these scout the seas off the northern half of the North Island for marlin, shark and tuna. This is serious business and you're looking at around $200 per person per day to go out on a boat with three others, but on the smaller boats, a day out fishing might cost as little as $60, with all tackle supplied.

Inland, the rivers and lakes are choked with rainbow and brown trout, quinnat and Atlantic salmon, all introduced for sport at the end of the nineteenth century. Certain areas have gained enviable reputations: the waters of the Lake Taupo catchment are world-renowned for the abundance and fighting quality of the rainbow trout; South Island rivers, particularly around Gore, boast the finest brown trout in the land; and braided gravel-bed rivers draining the eastern slopes of the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains bear superb salmon. Archaic laws prohibit the sale of trout , so if you want to eat some you've got to go out and catch it.

A national fishing licence ($65 for the year from Oct 1 to Sept 30; $25 for 7 days; and $13 for 24 hours) covers all New Zealand's lakes and rivers except for those in the Taupo catchment area, where a local licensing arrangement applies .

Wherever you fish, the rules are taken very seriously and are rigidly enforced. If you're found with an undersize catch or an over-full bag, heavy fines may be imposed and equipment confiscated. Be sure to find out the local regulations before you set out.