Thank you kindly for the welcome, and nope, I don't share the Aussie vs Kiwi mentality, yet. :angel:
I have developed many Kiwi mates that go on and on about the "bloody Aussies" so I know exactly where you are coming from.
I have always believed that most of it revolves around rugby and cricket though, otherwise you guys seem to get on very well?
As for me, being a Pomm, makes it kinda difficult to fit in anywhere on either island, especially seeing as I grew up in South Africa and that has it's own set of rules with you guys. :D

Anyway, thanks for the welcome and banter and tight lines.

Hey KingiFiddler
Thanks for the welcome, and man I wish I lived up that way, the fishing seems to be so much better?
I like chasing Kingies, mostly with Yellow eyed Mullet, but have kinda given up in the last two weeks as the water temp has dropped to around 14 deg.
I live in Kaiapoi, so close to the Waimakiriri mouth, which, when the river is running clean allows for some really good fun on the Kahawai front.
Haven't managed to bag a sea run salmon yet though, not for a lack of trying.  Coast line is too shallow where we live to swim live bait properly from the shore so mostly out on a boat when looking for Kingi's.
If you ever get down this way, we should go throw a line together, I'd love to pick your brain on some local knowledge as rock and surf fishing here is a little different from where I grew up on the Kwazulu-Natal North coast in South Africa.
Keep well and tight lines.

It was great fishing last summer but has been a dud this one. Very few fish about, except kahawai. Water temps dropped off a cliff here a few weeks back. Almost three degrees in under two weeks. Ironically that actually helps the fishing, because the kings switch back from the low-hanging fruit of the anchovie run (very sporadic this year) that peters out and settle back into chasing other baitfish, so our livies become more appealing again.

The further North you go the better the fishing. In the Far North, I swear they can grow marlin in puddles up there.

Micro jigs have worked well on kahawai up here and can be cast a fair way. I'd imagine they'd work well from a river mouth.

Even if you could float a livie from the shore under a balloon, is the kingi going to dust you in bricks anyway?

KZN is where my kayak was made. I searched NZ for over a year but couldn't convince anyone to make anything close to how good these kayaks are. Love 'em.

Good luck with the fishing down there.