Childhood memories
of casting homemade handlines from local wharves, or from rocks on the
harbour’s edge are shared by many. A national survey conducted in 2024 by MPI (Ministry
of Primary Industries) reported that approximately half of all recreational
fishing takes place along the northeastern coastline of the North Island. This
will come as no surprise to Bay of Plenty residents.
Less
expected, perhaps, is the role recreational fishing, especially
big game fishing, has played in promoting Tauranga to the world. In the 1920s
and 1930s, the lure of catching swordfish, marlin and mako sharks off Tuhua
(Mayor Island) attracted the rich and famous to Tauranga, including
international bestselling author Zane Grey and Lady Yule, who was at one time the
richest woman in Britain.
Although big game fishing had already enticed
international visitors to Tauranga, it was the arrival of the Lerner Expedition
in January 1939 that firmly placed the region on the world stage. Led and
sponsored by wealthy Americans Michael and Helen Lerner, the expedition's
stated aim was to collect specimens of New Zealand marine life for the American
Museum of Natural History. Yet the Lerners were also avid big game anglers, and
fishing for recreation formed an important part of their visit. Later that
year, Michael Lerner established the International Game Fish Association
(IGFA), which helped shape modern sport fishing worldwide.
This fish bat, used to stun or kill the expedition’s catch, is also known as a fishing priest – a name that alludes to its role in administering the 'last rites’. It is signed by all the members of the Lerner Expedition and was given to the donor’s father, Keith Gifford, who served as Secretary of the Big Game Club on Tuhua and accompanied the Lerners throughout their three-week visit.
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