Sneaking off for a day's fishing

BARBARA STURART

Matiu Noakes is one of those people who contribute to rural life in an under stated way supporting landowners with all sorts of jobs from tree harvesting or digger work.  

He says, “I had a colourful past during my teenage years but climbed back on the rails when I turned twenty-one.”

These days as a responsible man who runs his own business, sneaking away with his family for a day’s fishing or hunting is what gives him a buzz.

“Life as an angry teen saw me hurt everyone around me,” says Matiu, “and mostly myself.”  

Now, after years of getting experience at a number of jobs like the Pupu Spring Salmon farm, with the Department of Conservation as a hunter, Possum control work and logging have all led to successfully running his own business.

He has been an Arborist for the past fifteen years and over the past three years he and his wife Naomi have been able to purchase and pay for their own 22ton excavator and logging gear which includes a Harvest Tech De-Limber, enabling them to tackle woodlot logging.  

Matiu and Naomi have three children and they say, “family life is precious.”  

Now days, they are so busy but they both think, “investing time into their children while they are young and willing to listen is a critical part of raising the next generation.”

Recently when the weather was looking good for a mid-week fish Matiu describes what they did.

“We prepped the gear and set the alarm and were off at daylight, out to the spat farm off Kaiteriteri, dropping a setline on the way.

"We fished inside the farm but had no luck and when it turned choppy, we went back to lift our setline.  

"Then the wind dropped, and the weather calmed so we went back to the spat farm. We anchored up and that’s when we got into some good fishing.

"The kids were over-joyed and so excited for their old Dad when I picked up my best ever Snapper!  

"It weighed in at 12.5 pound.” Mostly says Matiu, his job is baiting hooks and untangling lines.  

“On our way back to shore we saw a workup of birds feeding on surface water.  It was the kids turn to fish for Kahawai, they had so much fun, which really topped off our day.”