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Source: Reuters
I was promised I'd hook a snapper.
I've never caught a fish before so when a Kiwi friend told me there was room on his boat for one more I was in.
We took the 10-seater boat out of the dry docks, through the Haruaki Gulf and into the Motuihe Channel off Auckland - snapper central.
Something I've noticed about New Zealanders is that they do things. They don't just talk about doing them.
I've spent many hours back in Oz discussing plans to go fishing, climb mountains, build fences and grow herb gardens - but nothing has eventuated.
Across the ditch, the Kiwis are full of beans.
They spend their spare time running around Mission Bay, kayaking out to Rangitoto, mountain biking through the Waitakere Ranges and going on mid-week fishing trips.
They're into team sports (not just rugby), being outdoors and soaking up the sunny summer months.
The enthusiasm is contagious.
I've run around Auckland more in the last month than I have in my entire lifetime in Australia. And I'm focused on getting up the dormant volcano island, Rangitoto, before I leave this country.
Now I find myself missing the Tuesday night episode of Shortland Street to go out and provide for my flatmates.
Five of us head to sea on this balmy Auckland evening with a bag full of squid and a six pack of beers.
I am shown how to bait my hook, then I lace a bit of frozen squid around the hooks with my painted nails.
I hang my Penn Seaboy rod in the water, letting the line out until it touches the bottom; then I wait.
All around me, people are getting "bites". I can feel the current tugging on my line but nothing that feels like a fish eating the seafood salad hanging at the end of my rod.
After about 10 minutes my skipper tells me to pull up the line to check what's going on.
As I pull it up I can see a small snapper attached to my line. And then another.
I've managed to hook a pair on debut. They're both too small to bring home so we free them up, give them a kiss and toss them back in the sea.
Now I know there are fish out there, I'm feeling inspired. I bait up the rod and give it another whirl - I need to catch something I can feed the troops with. Something that can be dusted with lemon pepper and thrown on the barbie.
My rod starts to bend; I keep it to myself but I'm feeling confident. It feels like dinner.
Before I leave the boat that night I manage to bag two legal-sized snapper. I'm stoked, the flatties are happy and the "throw another snapper on the barbie" jokes are firing.
I'm a hunter-gatherer.
