First fisherman’s TV show offers feast of food and drama
New Zealand’s first man Clarke Gayford is set to swap dress suits for wetsuits as he returns to the telly for the new season of his fishing show. The second season of Fish of the
Day is due to start on Prime next week packed with fishing, diving, top chefs, dingoes and a hair-raising encounter with a shark.
Each episode follows Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s beau on travels to different locations in New Zealand, Australia, Niue and Vanuatu in search of local fish, before hunting out top chefs including Kiwi Ray McVinnie to cook the catch.
“We use fishing as an excuse to show off the destination. Every place we go to is quite beautiful,” Gayford said.
But it wasn’t all fishing, idyllic locations and seafood recipes.
The series also captures some thrilling moments including wild dingoes after they ripped the lid off a chilly bin on Gayford’s truck, while he indulged in a spot of night fishing on a Queensland beach, and him getting caught in an underwater earthquake while shipwreck diving in Vanuatu.
“Everything just started thumping, like this strange drumming sound,” he said.
“I was so confused as to what was going on but I could see things sort of shaking.”
And there was the promise of sharks because “there’s always sharks”, according to Gayford.
“I had a good bit of tug-of-war with a shark in Niue, which took a big chunk out of one of the fish I was landing,” he said.
Gayford was in the water spearfishing when the 1.8m shark latched on to his catch.
“It went absolutely crazy and took off after my fish and grabbed it as I was trying to pull the line that was connected to it . . . I managed to pull [the fish] out of its jaws and it came up with a nice big bite mark out of it.”
Gayford also swam with a 16-metre humpback whale and its calf in Niue.
And it won’t be long before Gayford has a new fishing buddy, with him and partner Ardern expecting their first child in June.
Gayford said he had already been given a T-shirt which said “Captain” and a matching onesie for the baby with “First Mate” on it.
Gayford said his earliest childhood memories included his dad teaching him how to surf and fish.
“That’s how you form a good connection with [the] environment around you, by getting out and into it.”