Location

Epic Adventures is based in Tairua (just across the harbour from Pauanui), a sleepy seaside village on the Coromandel Peninsula, only one and a half hours from Auckland International Airport, on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island.

A bush clad volcanic range forms the backdrop to the village, while the blue Pacific Ocean and offshore islands beckon on the horizon. Tairua is the perfect base for a New Zealand fishing holiday.

Tairua is the perfect location to explore the rest of the Coromandel from, centrally located on the Pacific Coast and within close proximity of all the major attractions on the Coromandel, like Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove and Driving Creek Railway.

The town is home to award winning restaurants serving up fresh homegrown mussels, crayfish, oysters and other seafood.    

View from Paku hill over Pauanui Beach

Tairua is New Zealand's official home of fishing! Archaelogists have found the earliest evidence of Maori settlement in New Zealand at Tairua Beach - a pearl shell lure which originated from Polynesia! The first Polyensians to settle in New Zealand chose Tairua because of its fishery and shellfish beds.

Rich stories from the town’s goldmining and kauri logging heritage can be found in the many bush walks on the fringes of town. 

In Maori the Coromandel is seen as Te Tara o Te Ika a Maui - the jagged barb of Maui's fish. (The North Island being seen as a stingray in Maori mythology and legend, caught by the Maori hero Maui)

View from Paku Hill towards Shoe Island with the
Aldermen Islands in the background.  Tairua is the ultimate NZ fishing base with so many options close to the our fishing base.

There are many beautiful places in the world, only a few can be regarded as truly special. The Coromandel is renowned for its spectacular coastline, offshore islands and great fishing and diving. Some of our favourite Tairua fishing and diving spots (without giving too many of our secrets away) include:

Aldermen Islands (often mis-spelt as the Alderman Islands) Located 10 miles offshore from Tairua, near the continental shelf and literally teeming with marine life.   A series of craggy volcanic islands which rise dramatically from the Pacific Ocean.  The journey to the islands is worth it for their scenic beauty alone.   The fishing can often be mindblowing, some of our biggest snapper and kingfish are caught from the area. The Sugarloaf Rocks nearby are home to some of New Zealand’s biggest kingfish.

Alderman Pins The legendary Aldermen Pins surrounding the islands produce some of the best kingfish jigging you will find in New Zealand, as well as hapuku and marlin and yellowfin in season .

Slipper Island 
Lying just off the coast from Tairua / Pauanui and providing shelter from most winds.  Golden beaches adorn one side of the island and landing is permitted, while dramatic volcanic cliffs drop into the ocean on the eastern side. The island has great fishing all around it and very sheltered conditions for some great softbait fishing along the coastline.   

Watchman Rock Located half way to Slipper Island from Tairua this reef produces great fishing for snapper and trevally.  This is a great evening fishing spot for snapper.  Close to Watchman is Blind Rock which is a great spot to target kingis on poppers.  Popper fishing comes into its element here.

Home Reef  An area of reef close to Tairua Beach is literally loaded with baitfish, and kingfish are often seen harrasing them on the surface.  From March through to May don’t be surprised if we don’t travel too far from shore as this is the best place to fish by far. Likewise this is where some of our best snapper are caught fishing with soft plastics.

Pauanui Reefs One of our favourite fishing spots in the evening.  We’ll often sit in close to shore, and set a berley trail to attract good sized snapper as they move into the cover of the inshore reefs for the night and often feed in a frenzy before dark.

Castle Rock  About five miles off Hot Water Beach and 20 minutes from Tairua, a small “castle like” island rises out of 50m of water. Shoaling schools of kahakwai and trevally circle the island and this is a great fishing spot to target kahawai, trevally and kingfish.

Dogger Bank   Half way between Tairua and Whangamata out from Onemana is a big reef system in 50m which had a great variety of fishing. Big schools of kahawai are found schooling from Oct - Jan and attract plenty of pelagic fish as well as snapper underneath.

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