Newsletter 2008
Let us take you Off The Beaten Track
We have now specialized in travel to New Zealand for over eighteen years. Our business, as the name implies, is all about New Zealand. We specialize in New Zealand fly fishing; however, our expertise extends way beyond fishing.
Our five employees and I continue to visit New Zealand at least once a year to visit the properties we use and experience the activities we recommend. There is no substitute for being able to describe a property or activity from first hand experience. All the employees in our office have made numerous trips to New Zealand and have extensive experience (several of them have over 19 years) in organizing and selling travel to New Zealand. The Best of New Zealand team stays in the accommodations, participates in the local activities, and samples the local cuisine. We personally check out your travel options before recommending them to you.
We are honored to again be one of Air New Zealand's largest agencies in the USA. This relationship brings a number of benefits to our clients. We have the lowest airfares available (lower than the internet or consolidators); enhanced ability to clear wait lists; the capability to obtain preferred seating arrangements; and help track lost luggage if the problem should arise. Give us a call and we will be happy to quote an airfare and share these benefits with you.
Fly Fishing is our central focus, but we are also experts in the many other activities and accommodations available in New Zealand. We sell exclusive fishing programs; however, most of our itineraries include sightseeing and other nature-based activities of interest such as golf, winery tours, bird watching, hiking, and sea kayaking.
New Zealand Mourns a Great Adventurer
New Zealand lost its most famous citizen when Sir Edmund Hillary passed away on January 11, 2008 at the age of 88. On May 29, 1953 he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Sir Ed had a distinguished career and a wide range of accomplishments including being the first man to stand on both the South Pole, the North Pole, and the summit of Mount Everest.
Sir Ed was an unassuming New Zealand beekeeper who became one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers. He is pictured on the NZ $5 bill. Through his efforts and the Himalayan Trust, many schools and hospitals were built in Nepal. Still Sir Ed remained a down to earth unpretentious 'Kiwi bloke' . I had the pleasure of meeting him a number of years ago. Over a couple glasses of wine (New Zealand of course). We talked about fishing in the Himalayas. He recounted his experiences in Nepal and I shared my experiences in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
In tribute Claire Harvey wrote in the New Zealand Herald "And for New Zealanders, Sir Ed was everything a good bastard ought to be - modest and humorous, brave and compassionate, and just grouchy enough to remind us he never sought, nor particularly enjoyed, adulation."
Fly Fisherman Publisher visits New Zealand again for an extended vacation
We were again honored to plan and organize a New Zealand trip for John Randolph, Editor & Publisher of Fly Fisherman magazine, and his wife Mary. We organized a month long itinerary that included a wide variety of accommodations - from super luxury lodge, Grasmere Lodge; fishing lodges Lake Rotoroa Lodge, Riverview Lodge, & Nokomai Station; new Kokonga Lodge; luxury Bed & Breakfast White Shadows; to two cottages: Wave Watchers and Clifftops Retreat.
We were again honored to plan and organize a New Zealand trip for John Randolph, Editor & Publisher of Fly Fisherman magazine, and his wife Mary. We organized a month long itinerary that included a wide variety of accommodations - from super luxury lodge, Grasmere Lodge; fishing lodges Lake Rotoroa Lodge, Riverview Lodge, & Nokomai Station; new Kokonga Lodge; luxury Bed & Breakfast White Shadows; to two cottages: Wave Watchers and Clifftops Retreat.
John fished with a number of our preferred guides, including Dean Bell, Sel Shanks, Nigel Birt, Scott Murray, and John Gemmell while Mary experienced a wide range of activities available for non-anglers. John & Mary related the following about their trip:
John Randolph: 'New Zealand is the 'last best place on earth' for many reasons and one of them is the trout fishing. We fly fishers consider these cold, clear waters to be the best trout fishing in the world. Here's why: The rivers are the perfect unspoiled lightly-fished habitats for rainbow and brown trout and the fish dwell in some of most beautiful river and lake surroundings imaginable. The New Zealand flyfishing guides are the best professionals in the world, for their fish-spotting abilities and their understanding of trout behavior are legendary. Stalking large trout with them is one of fly fishing's greatest adventures and challenges, the top of the game for beginner to expert.'
Mary Randolph: 'The New Zealand people are among the friendliest I have ever met. Their values remind me of those I grew up with in small-town America in the early 1950s. There are so many wonderful nonfishing sightseeing and outdoor things to do and see that there is never an idle moment. They include: exploring the fjords by boat; roaming the seashores of the North Cape; trekking the Milford Track; horseback riding, offroading, or mountain biking the high country; river rafting or power-boating; golfing; exploring vineyards and tasting wines; sampling bed and breakfasts; shopping and dining in Queenstown or watching bungy-jumpers taking their long dives. Every day I spent in New Zealand I felt younger. New Zealanders know how to enjoy a stress-free life, especially in the outdoors.'
Featured Fishing Lodges and Guides!
There are a significant variety of accommodations from which to fish in New Zealand (see our website for details). We are featuring four fishing lodges in this newsletter -see pages 10, 11, 12, 13. The main focus at these lodges is fishing. They are situated in areas that offer some of 'The Best' fishing in New Zealand and employ some of New Zealand's top professional fishing guides.
For the first time we are also featuring a guiding team, Backcountry New Zealand -see page 9. We use a number of outstanding independent fishing guides, but have hesitated to promote them in our newsletters or website as their availability can be very limited. The advantage of Backcountry New Zealand is that it has a number of excellent fishing guides, so organizing itineraries is much easier.
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