WHERETO BEFOR WHITEBAIT
Rumour has it whitebaiters don’t tell lies, they just don’t necessarily tell the truth. The rumour goes on to say that if he says he has five pounds, he’s probably got 10.
It was with this in mind that we headed off on a road trip to experience the legendary New Zealand tradition of whitebaiting in the small fishing village of Mokau, at the mouth of the Mokau River in North Taranaki. I imagined the locals here would be every bit as cagey about their catch in a bid to ward off urban folk like ourselves.
We arrived at our lodge accommodation in Awakino, just a few kilometres north of Mokau, in blustery gales and heavy rain. A renovated general store dating back to the early 1900s, the lodge boasted views across the Awakino River.
The gardener suggested we talk to ‘‘Dennis, the guy at the green house across the road’’ about this whitebaiting lark. Dennis is a painter and every inch of his hallway was adorned with his art. Without trying to appear too nosy, I was desperate to get a closer look at the painting of Winston Peters hanging among the landscapes. My best guess from the inclusion of this work is that Dennis is a fan of Peters’ policy against foreign land ownership in New Zealand.
Staying on task, I asked Dennis where I could hire a net. He just looked at me like, fool, what are you thinking? ‘‘Better off going down to the river mouth with some cash!’’ I left him to his thoughts.
We met Ngahi and Petella not far from the river mouth. Well, truth is Tony had gone out first with his camera.
I thought I could get away with waiting in the car as it was so bitterly cold, but he was soon back suggesting I go and have a chat with them. The conditions must have been optimal as other hopefuls were turning up. Ngahi greeted me with a wide, cheeky grin. ‘‘So you sent the fella out first
Ian at the Mokau Museum told me that two stands had recently sold up the river for $20,000 a piece.
to check it out, huh?’’ That obvious?
Ngahi told me he was introduced to whitebaiting by his grandfather up in the Waikato, who had passed on his knowledge, but in the end, he admitted, laughing, ‘‘It’s just good luck’’.
What I did learn, though, is that the key is not to disturb the river and be gentle with the sweep of the net. Respect the fish and their environment.
So what makes a good whitebait season? It runs from around midAugust until the end of November, which is when the whitebait make their way upstream from the sea. Big runs of them often follow floods, a few days after the water clears – usually in the daytime on a rising tide. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
The Mokau River has around
500 whitebait stands over a
20-kilometre stretch. Screens placed in slots along the stand create barriers that baffle the whitebait as they swim alongside river banks where the current is slacker. Trying to find a way past the screen, the fish move to its outer edge, and enter a net.
These stands are hot property. Ian at the Mokau Museum told me that two had recently sold up the river for $20,000 a piece, but quick research suggests they fetch even higher prices in many areas. Handheld nets are definitely a more budget-friendly option.
I joked with Ngahi about when my auntie served me whitebait fritters as a child and I told her I couldn’t eat them as their eyes were looking at me. He laughed, saying some people actually cut their heads off. I imagine this labour-intensive process would dramatically push the price up of these sought-after delicacies.
Not being at all at ease with flashing cash around for the couple’s prize, we headed back to town to the local butcher, who sold us some for a price. This is a very heated market, we could tell.
I learned that early Ma¯ori would dry the whitebait on racks above a fire or on stones in the sun, or alternatively wrap them in fern fronds and freshly steam in a ha¯ngı¯.
Back at the lodge I came across an old Tui Flower cookbook, New Zealand The Beautiful Cookbook, inside which I found a recipe for whitebait fritters.
The introduction to the book read: ‘‘For every New Zealander, it is more than just a talking point, as the quality of our land, waters, and climate provides for the production of top grade foodstuffs that are renowned world wide, thus making food the life-blood of our economy.’’
A vision that resonated loudly as we sat down to our fritters with fluffy white bread and butter.