Boating New Zealand — January 2018

106 Boating New Zealand

Boaters should

take notice

of seasonal

phenomenons

like summer sea

breezes. Holiday

boaters often get

caught out by

strong afternoon

sea breezes: days

that start out calm

may end with

a stiff offshore

breezes and

rough seas that

are dangerous for

small craft. Either

come in early

enough or wait

it out until the

breezes die out as

dusk approaches.

WATCH THE

SEA BREEZES

Snapper can spawn several times in a warm summer, but later

activity is sporadic and lacks the urgency of the initial spring/early

summer event triggered by the water reaching 18°C.

Snapper fishing over the Christmas-New Year period can be

challenging, not helped by the increase in boat traffic and activity

in and on the water. But it depends: some years the holiday break

coincides with the tail end of the spawning season and those anglers

who find the snapper schools can do very well.

The Bay of Islands is a hugely popular destination for cruising

boaties and land-based holiday makers alike. Its sheltered waters are

the venue for a very significant snapper spawning event which attracts

FOCUS ON THE DESTINATION

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