Email from Shay at Epic Adventures. Note: I didn't have a lot of info on the Bay of Islands charters so I opted to stay with the much larger city Whitianga with better accommodations for 12 people.
Hi Mike,
It’d be great to get you out water with us, our charters that depart from Whitianga (Eastern Coromandel) they are all full day kingfish trips!
So early you head out to catch your live bait and then its out deep to the action hauling in massive kingfish! These depart at 7am and return between 3-4pm, you are also likely to catch other species such as hapuka, snapper and bass. Full boat bookings cost $1600. Single seats cost $415.
Our charters departing out of Russel/Paihia in the Bay of Islands, can be full day kingfish charters ($285pp) they depart at 7.30am and return between 3-4pm. We also operate 4hr morning or afternoon snapper trips single seats are $150pp.
Both locations get good fish, if you want to target both kingfish and snapper I’d advise bay of islands and if you predominantly want to target kingfish or then I’d advise Whitianga.
We do have accommodation options in Whitianga, we can offer self contained apartment options 500m from the wharf, highly rated by our customers, cost $170-220 per night depending on season, there are also similar options in Russell/Amodeo bay.
With regard to other accommodation we do have a nice house that can cater for your group at a cost of $250 for 4x people (additional $20pp) per night. There is a one off linen and cleaning fee of $250. This house is 1km from the wharf and you can see the water! It is also in close proximity to all amenities.
There are plenty of other accommodation options available so just let me know if you need details or other recommendations.
For snapper we can book you in over at Amodeo bay (Western Coromandel), They operate a 4hr morning or afternoon snapper trips $150 per seat, or full day snapper trip for $300 per person. (They do require 4 seats to be sold for the full day trip to go ahead, and payment for 3 or 3 people booked for the half day trips).
The skippers are all heavily involved in helping you get your personal best and they are all very talented at what they do! We provide top of the line gear, rods & reels, bait, ice etc...We can also provide a very nice cafe style lunch for $25 per person per day.
Departing Whitianga the skipper can also take them down the coast a bit to check out places such as Cathedral Cove, Hahei marine reserve etc. We even have arrangements with bars and restaurants. A popular choice is to get off the boat and head to the Mercury Bay Fishing club where they will cook up your days catch, and you get battered fish, chips and salad for NZ$5!!! And beers are NZ$5.50!
You can either book online at:
http://www.epicadventures.co.nz/locations/ (choose "Location" '"Book Now” “Whole boat/Single seats") or give me a call in the office and I can lock it in over the phone. We take a 25% deposit to secure all bookings.
