Sport and Hobbies > Fishing and hunting

'Big Al' Lester is the modern-day master of the hunting genre.  A Sting in the Tale is a winning combination of his best, much-loved yarns with a few new ones thrown in for good measure, all showcasing Al's characteristic sense of humour. Traversing the length and breadth of New Zealand, 'Big Al' and his trusty companions regale with stories of all manner of beasts who got in the way, off-track trailing and, ultimately, good times enjoyed with good mates.

Paul Askin author of the very successful New Zealander Pig Hunter's Handbook, takes a more laid back stlye as he recounts some of the more memorable hunts from his many years of pig hunting.There is more to pig hunting than you might think! These are yarns about the pigs, people and dogs from hunts on both private and public land.    

Great, reliable fishing spots are usually a closely guarded secret, but with Best Small Boat Fishing Spots you can find the big fish fact. Geoff Thomas, one of New Zealands best known and well-respected fishermen personally recommends these 141 fishing spots from around the country.

This is up-to-the minute advice on doing it right and being successful. Catch More Snapper is just that - how to catch snapper and do it every time you go fishing.

Chamois are New Zealand's most popular mountain game. Living from Marlborough to Southland, they are widely available for hunters in the South Island. Adaptable mobile and challenging they represent the epitome of mountain game. Steuart Laing traces the origin of the New Zealand Chamois, their arrival in New Zealand, dispersal and life history. He also offers advice on hunting these magnificent animals, trophy care and equipment. As well, he looks at the economic benefit to New Zealand these animals represent.

Not a lot has been written about spear fishing and free diving. It takes a special kind of person prepare to take it to the extreme. Do it the way the author likes to and it becomes an adrenalin-filled adventure. Big fish captures are never routine the challenge becomes how to go beyojd the normal and take it to the edge.

In his first book, Chris Fraser described the symptoms of Pig Huntingitis, as owning a 4WD truck with a dog box on the back, along pointed knife, a collection of motley looking dogs and when you are talking with your mates every second sentence has the word "pig" in it at least once. Fortunately not a life-threatening problem, except possibly for the pigs. The progress from just infected to "chronic" is described in the stories in this book Chronic Pig Huntingitis. As it progresses it involves wives, children, friends even ... read more

This guide describes how to dress and prepare fish, shellfish, small game and deer and pigs for the table. Dressing, bleeding, hanging, gutting, plucking, knives and their sharpening are comprehensivly covered and the various chapters are well supported by photographs, showing the various steps.

When Andy Lyver married into a prominent hunting family in the Hawke's Bay she had a choice - bet 'em or join 'em. It wasn't a hard decision. She'd grown up enjoying the outdoors and the freedom that life in the country offered a girl, but hunting had been something that men did. With the guidance of Maco, her unflappable mate, she discovered a whole new world that satisifies her appetite for adventure, scrapes and challenges. A former editor of the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association magazine New Zealand Hunting & Wildlife, free... read more

Fishing New Zealand covers over 100 of the best places for catching fish in New Zealand from kingfish off the ledges under the Surville Cliffs at North Cape to 4kg snapper in the inner Waitemata (on the edge of the channel on the 3rd red marker out from the Westhaven Marina) to fishing at Tolaga Bay at the end of NZ's longest wharf to catching blue cod in the Kelp forests off the Otago coast. This book covers not only the best spots around New Zealand, but also fishing from wharves and dinghies to beaches and offshore. Written by w... read more

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Martin Brenstrum has been exploring New Zealand's backcountry since as far back as he can remember. In Hooked on Hunting he shares a decade and a half of hunting yarns (and a few good fishing yarns along the way), from the days when you could go bush in the morning and be home in the evening with a deer cheque in your pocket and a satisfied, if knackered, grin on your face. Recalling the many friends he hunted with and the often hugely entertaining - at least in the telling - experiences they had in all weathers, in all conditions,... read more

Graeme Marshall has always loved to write. This, his tenth book, is devoted to his passion for hunting. He wrote his first magazine article for fledgling Rod and Rifle in 1981 and has contributed to every issue bar one since then. Whilst most of his books have revolved around trout fishing this is his fourth hunting book, including the most recent, Aerial Hunter, The Dick Deaker Story. Now in his early 60's the author still hunts quite frequently and at the time of going to print was planning yet another minor expedition. Now based... read more

The further adventures of Graham May. He takes the reader along on some of his more memorable trips. Altough retired and confessing to slowing down a little, Graham manages more hunting than many a fraction of his age. With the ability of a natural story teller and a bush poet this latest collection of yarns is sure to win even more fans than his first book. - Publishers advance information

A celebration of flyfishing in New Zealand. Zane Mirfin - fishing guide, author and award-winning photographer has captured the esence of what makes flyfishing in New Zealand unique and special. Over 100 remarkable images reveal the frama, splendour, and excitement that is flyfishing in New Zealand.

A century ago, a little-known, exotic animal, the Himalayan tahr, was introduced into new Zealand for big-game sporting purposes. From a few releases at Aoraki Mt cook, tahr are now permanent inhabitants of the sub-alpne zones in the central Southern Alps. Their ecology, lifestyle and unique behaviour, both here and in their homelands, remained largely un documented. until now. This is an inimate story of Ken Tustin's growing respect for a remarkable animal, seen over a lifetime, through the eyes of a hunter, researher, pilot and ... read more

There's more to Reg's pig hunting than pigs, it's the dogs, the people and the events that come together, not always the way they should, that create the backdrop for this book. This is Reg Carr's fifth book.Reg Carr - pig hunter, raconteur and observer of life both human and porcine. This is Reg's fifth book, if you have read one before you know what to expect, if you haven't, prepare to enjoy, as Reg takes you the reader along on some of his many hunting trips. There's more to Reg's pig hunting than pigs, it's the dogs, the peopl... read more

Kim Swan is without doubt New Zealand's most successful pig hunting author. Grunter Hunters, Chasin' Bacon, Boardom Busters, Hog Wild and now Piggin'. The stories get better, the people more way-out. Thankfully the pigs and the dogs remain constant.

Darren Shields was taken by his father on a pig hunting adventure to Great Barrier Island at the tender age of 6. To say the trip made an impression on the young Darren would be an understatement. He was hooked. Growing up in the semi-rural environment of Whitianga in the 1970s most activities revolved around the outdoors. Pigs were plentiful and handy to home and access was no problem as everybody knew everybody else in those days. Playstations had not been invented so what was a boy to do. Hunting became an after school activit... read more

Fifteen years ago on a shoe string, a wing and a prayer, Graeme Sinclair started 'Gone Fishin'. It rapidly became one of hte most popular programmes on TV. Tragedy struck after a few years when Graeme suddenly developed multurple sclerosis, and th efishing, diving, free moving host of the show was suddenly confined to a wheelchair. The legs may have stopped working, but Graeme could still fish, and his enthusiasm continued to captivate viewers. So sit back and enjoy the ride so far as Graeme looks back at some of the events, storie... read more