window no more than 15m away.
Moments like that don't come often 
and the rifle came up smoothly. Time 
seemed to compress into something 
small and focused. The shot broke 
clean, through the scope, I watched 
the deer drop where it stood.  My 
first Stewart Island whitetail.
In the stillness that followed, I 
could hear the faint voices of the 
boys back at the hut. It was one 
of those moments that sticks, 
quiet, simple, and earned.
If the hunting delivered, the free 
diving pushed me well outside my 
comfort zone. I've always felt at 
home in the bush, but the ocean is 
a different game. The others were 
more experienced being calm, 
efficient, and deadly with a speargun. 
Each day they returned with more 
than enough for a feed, along with 
pāua the size of dinner plates.
They took the time to help 
me improve, and gradually, the 
hesitation faded. Confidence built 
with each dive. That said, I was 
never too proud to climb back into 
the boat when the sea lions turned 
up. Up close, their speed and size 
are something else entirely.
Fishing filled the gaps in between. 
Blue cod, trumpeter, and tarakihi 
were all present in good numbers, 
and softbaits kept things simple 
and effective. There was no 
shortage of action, with plenty 
of other reef species thrown in 
to keep things interesting.
The spearfishing on offer is first class 
with blue cod, trumpeter, and tarakihi 
taken easily in the shallows.
 /FISHINGINGODZONE  69

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