Nov, 2013: It was great to see Eve Reilly again. She has expertly managed Poronui Lodge for over 20 years and is a good friend of Frontiers. Recently she was our guest in Pittsburgh and co-hosted a New Zealand event for our local clients at our office. She welcomed us at this venerable lodge and we had a full tour of the property.

Poronui was formally a rustic fishing camp on a very large sheep station. It was great to see how the property has developed into a world class sporting retreat since my last visit. Poronui is located near Taupo on the North Island, nestled in the Taharua River Valley (a great brown trout stream by the way…). In addition to outstanding fishing, the lodge has sporting clays, horseback riding and many other nonfishing activities. Poronui also has an exceptional big game hunting operation for red and sika deer, plus other species.

The lodge was busy with an international crew of guests utilizing the seven guest cottages adjacent to the main lodge. Poronui also has the Blake House, a very private and exclusive 4 bedroom / 4 bathroom fully staffed guest house that is ideal for intact parties who want their privacy. Eve and her capable team look after their nonfishing guests with great care, making Poronui an ideal locale for couples where one spouse does not want to fish or hunt.

The trout fishing is fantastic with plenty of water on this working ranch. In addition to the Taharua, guests can fish the Mohaka and two tributaries. Back country access is also ideal. The best helicopter company in the region is located on the neighboring property, providing short flight times, which reduces chopper costs. We had two great days of fishing with one of Poronui’s newer guides, Paul. He had great eyes for spotting fish, a genuinely nice personality…and he was more excited than we were when a fish took our fly.

Complementing the outdoor experience was the cuisine, which was remarkable; and we continued to enjoy learning more about New Zealand wines. Poronui has an excellent wine cellar where the whole group had dinner one evening. Another cool thing about Poronui is that the guides join the guests for dinner and breakfast. This is a lot of fun and creates significant camaraderie between the guests and the guides.

Put Poronui on your “wish to fish list”… It is a great place!

By: Mike Jr. and Kristene Fitzgerald