Beaches, Boating and Fishing in the Bay
Beaches in the Bay
Through the central Bay, from Puponga in the west to Pohara in the east, there is a string of shallow, fine sand beaches, safe for the family with kids. The summer tide returning over wide sand-flats often makes the water warm, an even better incentive for some.
To the east, past Tarakohe harbour, you will discover truly golden beaches. From Ligar Bay to Tata Beach, Wainui and on around the Abel Tasman National Park the much coarser sand is derived from erosion of the granite rock of the hinterland. Barefoot paradise!! Tata Beach is popular with those wanting deeper water for a real swim but still in safe waters.
The region also has its share of true ‘West Coast' beaches. Wharariki must be one of the world's gems. Sand dunes, islands, caves, sometimes wild and thunderous waves - too dangerous for family swimming but just right for the brave surfers and windsurfers, (and seals of course, but please leave them alone).
Boating and Fishing
Golden Bay has the best scallop beds in New Zealand and a growing mussel industry. The scallops are fished by towing dredges along the seabed and both recreational and commercial fishers enjoy a bountiful harvest. The Challenger Scallop Enhancement Company is a privately owned fishing company that gathers scallop spat on artificial collectors (spat is the name for the tiny infant shellfish) and later the small scallops are released onto the shellfish beds.
Commercial scallop fishers put a percentage of their income into the enhancement project. This Company presents an annual management plan to the Ministry of Fisheries and quotas are set after the shellfish beds have been surveyed. The fleet of commercial fishing boats takes between 200 and 700 tons of scallop meat from the beds in the Nelson Marlborough area. These scallops are fished under a rotational system, and immature shellfish beds are left undisturbed to grow. Mussels are grown on extensive structures anchored to the shallow sea floor. Present ‘farms' are concentrated in the north- west part of Golden Bay and at Wainui Bay in the east. Cockles and oysters are also commercially harvested from the beaches of Golden Bay.
For the amateur visitor looking for a feed, the shores and beaches provide good foraging for a variety of shellfish. Remember to check and obey the MoF quotas! Recreational fishing however is probably of more interest to most visitors - that continual search for the elusive ‘big one'. From October through to April, snapper can be caught around most of the local beaches; Pakawau, Patons Rock, Pohara and Parapara are all good spots for surfcasting. Boat fishing is excellent in most parts of the Bay and there are boat ramps at Tarakohe, Tata Beach and Collingwood.
The West Coast of the Bay from Kahurangi Lighthouse to Farewell Spit provides splendid surfcasting for the skilled fisherman. This is a dangerous coast with large rolling waves, but with good fishing off the rocks and beaches. Paua, crayfish, kina, and other species of fish such as moki and butterfish can also be caught along this coast.
The two main rivers in Golden Bay, the Aorere and the Takaka, together with their tributaries, are good trout fishing rivers. The fish are predominantly brown trout and some large specimens can be taken. The Cobb Reservoir is a very good fishing spot with abundant rainbow trout. Eels are common in most rivers and creeks in Golden Bay. Whitebaiters flock to Golden Bay during the season, as local rivers and creeks can provide excellent whitebaiting spots in a good year.
