Poronui

We took a chance on Poronui based on reviews and the website write ups. It seemed to good to be true, but it was. We have been on other hunt and fishing adventures but the folks in New Zealand make us Americans look like beginners. The attention to detail and willingness to accommodate our needs was remarkable. Claire welcomed us at the door and Shawn had a glass of sparkling NZ wine ready for as in a moment. Adrian our chef was on his game and presented the details of every dinner meal. We had a great time with Vincent our hunting guide, he got both hunters a Red Stag harvest, one rifle and one archery. My wife and I both landed a 23 inch 5-6 lb rainbows on our fishing day. What you read about Poronui is what you actually get!

We had an amazing time at the Safari Camp. A brilliant site and amazing food. The beds were so comfortable. The sound of the river made for the best nights sleep. The chef supplied really wonderful food, and the wine to accompany it was perfect. Sitting around the campfire talking with the family was one of the best experiences you could have.

Excellent hospitality. Claire and Lisa re fabulous hosts. The location is beautiful with pheasants strolling around the grounds and deer grazing on the hillsides. The rooms are very well appointed. The food was delicious. We had lovely stay.

“Poronui” a complete wilderness experience… Wednesday, and an easy drive of about a half hour, and a hard right on the Napier road takes you to Poronui in the North Island New Zealand high country. A private gated, secure property, and a quick call to Lisa or Claire get you in, and on your way, to a most wonderful, pristine wilderness experience. Met by Lisa, we arrived early afternoon, and immediately took in the ambience of the scenery, the Lodge, fantastic guest rooms, the mountains, the roaming deer and Ring Necked abundant Pheasant’s…..wow! To say it is very pretty is an understatement, but it gave us a feel for what was ahead over the next few days of high country, dry fly fishing, in gin clear mountain headwaters. Some tasty nibbles were rustled up” by Darren and Kay, who are part of The Poronui Experience” chef’s team. Really nice people, great food, nothing too hard to please, and a couple of drinks set the scene for an experience that is “to die for.” A bit of a rest, a familiarisation walk around the Lodge gardens, a check of the local stream for cruising Trout, and a run in with a Pheasant cock bird was all good. Lisa, a great lady, and asset to Poronui, picked us up in a Prado and took us for an educational overview 4 wheel drive around some of the property. Poronui is expansive, private, majestic in scenery, and the confluence of the rivers, told me this couple of days fly fishing would be something we would never forget. It was confirmed, in those next couple of days, and we’d go back there any time. No TV’s, just a book, a glass of wine, some more rest, then canape’s with new guests from Nebraska around the Lodge open fireplace…..a very nice start to our stay. Dinner at 7 was introductions all round, relaxed, informal, and our initial experiences, why we were here, and a few glasses of local wines and yummy food prepared by Chef Adrian, as “mein host” set the scene for a hard to beat experience. New, and I think enduring friendships were forged with our Nebraska cohorts, and during the next two days, we would several times discuss “the one that got away!” Thursday morning, after a great night’s sleep, we fronted the Lodge for breakfast at 7; clear sky’s, very frosty, an open fire in the lodge, a very leisurely experience, nice breakfast from Darren and Kaye, and a day of pristine river dry fly fishing was ahead. Some coffee, further introductions to our guides Kunio, the fly fishing ninja, and Mark, into the Simms waders, and we were on our ways into the bush, into the rivers, and trekking upstream. For quite a while, we found spotting the fish difficult and our darker lensed shades weren’t as good as yellow shades in detecting the fish, unless they moved, or spooked as they frequently were in the gin clear waters. A floating Geehi Peacock hurl beetle with small trailing bead head nymph was the go to weapon of choice by our guide Kunio, who also acted as chief spotter, lead river forder, and “chief haranguer” due to my poor casting. Several fish, browns, and rainbows were taken, several lost, a couple “spat it” on the take, and a hell of a lot of fun was had in tough conditions, that got quite hot. We should have layered up better! We finished early for the day, due to the heat, and retired back to the Lodge for some chilled Asahi beers, gin and tonics, some more wine tasting, and canapes prepared by Adrian, a world class, world travelled chef. Discussion of the day, good natured banter, and the fact that we all caught fish, helped. My partner caught Brown and Rainbow Trout, on the fly, dry fly at that, and was very, very excited! A bit of a rest, then dinner at 7; like us, our new Nebraska friends had had a great day, trying, tough fish clear waters, a very good guide in Mark, some laughs, some bruises, and the Poronui experience. That night, over dinner, discussion moved from the day, to our new friends, and back to the fish and pristine Poronui. A lot of laughs, a few jokes around “how big it was,” the biggest “clanger”of the day, with a few more drinks, more great food from Adrian, stories from Mark and Lisa, and off to bed for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow, we would be “chopper fish-in” in the mountains….. Friday arrived, and another clear blue sky day and frosty morning; not ideal for Trout fishing on the fly in shallow clear waters…Breakfast at 7, some muesli, coffee, eggs on toast, into the waders, and we were ready to go. Met by our guide, Kunio, we were strictly OH&S instructed on how to board the helicopter, to keep our heads down, and Hi Deb, Below is my 2nd part and review of Poronui for ❤️Taupo and Poronui use, where of value. “Poronui” a complete wilderness experience… Wednesday, and an easy drive of about a half hour, and a hard right on the Napier road takes you to Poronui in the North Island New Zealand high country. A private gated, secure property, and a quick call to Lisa or Claire get you in, and on your way, to a most wonderful, pristine wilderness experience. Met by Lisa, we arrived early afternoon, and immediately took in the ambience of the scenery, the Lodge, fantastic guest rooms, the mountains, the roaming deer and Ring Necked abundant Pheasant’s…..wow! To say it is very pretty is an understatement, but it gave us a feel for what was ahead over the next few days of high country, dry fly fishing, in gin clear mountain headwaters. Some tasty nibbles were rustled up” by Darren and Kay, who are part of The Poronui Experience” chef’s team. Really nice people, great food, nothing too hard to please, and a couple of drinks set the scene for an experience that is “to die for.” A bit of a rest, a familiarisation walk around the Lodge gardens, a check of the local stream for cruising Trout, and a run in with a Pheasant cock bird was all good. Lisa, a great lady, and asset to Poronui, picked us up in a Prado and took us for an educational overview 4 wheel drive around some of the property. Poronui is expansive, private, majestic in scenery, and the confluence of the rivers, told me this couple of days fly fishing would be something we would never forget. It was confirmed, in those next couple of days, and we’d go back there any time. No TV’s, just a book, a glass of wine, some more rest, then canape’s with new guests from Nebraska around the Lodge open fireplace…..a very nice start to our stay. Dinner at 7 was introductions all round, relaxed, informal, and our initial experiences, why we were here, and a few glasses of local wines and yummy food prepared by Chef Adrian, as “mein host” set the scene for a hard to beat experience. New, and I think enduring friendships were forged with our Nebraska cohorts, and during the next two days, we would several times discuss “the one that got away!” Thursday morning, after a great night’s sleep, we fronted the Lodge for breakfast at 7; clear sky’s, very frosty, an open fire in the lodge, a very leisurely experience, nice breakfast from Darren and Kaye, and a day of pristine river dry fly fishing was ahead. Some coffee, further introductions to our guides Kunio, the fly fishing ninja, and Mark, into the Simms waders, and we were on our ways into the bush, into the rivers, and trekking upstream. For quite a while, we found spotting the fish difficult and our darker lensed shades weren’t as good as yellow shades in detecting the fish, unless they moved, or spooked as they frequently were in the gin clear waters. A floating Geehi Peacock hurl beetle with small trailing bead head nymph was the go to weapon of choice by our guide Kunio, who also acted as chief spotter, lead river forder, and “chief haranguer” due to my poor casting. Several fish, browns, and rainbows were taken, several lost, a couple “spat it” on the take, and a hell of a lot of fun was had in tough conditions, that got quite hot. We should have layered up better! We finished early for the day, due to the heat, and retired back to the Lodge for some chilled Asahi beers, gin and tonics, some more wine tasting, and canapes prepared by Adrian, a world class, world travelled chef. Discussion of the day, good natured banter, and the fact that we all caught fish, helped. My partner caught Brown and Rainbow Trout, on the fly, dry fly at that, and was very, very excited! A bit of a rest, then dinner at 7; like us, our new Nebraska friends had had a great day, trying, tough fish clear waters, a very good guide in Mark, some laughs, some bruises, and the Poronui experience. That night, over dinner, discussion moved from the day, to our new friends, and back to the fish and pristine Poronui. A lot of laughs, a few jokes around “how big it was,” the biggest “clanger”of the day, with a few more drinks, more great food from Adrian, stories from Mark and Lisa, and off to bed for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow, we would be “chopper fishin” in the mountains….. Friday arrived, and another clear blue sky day and frosty morning; not ideal for Trout fishing on the fly in shallow clear waters…Breakfast at 7, some muesli, coffee, eggs on toast, into the waders, and we were ready to go. Met by our guide, Kunio, we were strictly OH&S instructed on how to board the helicopter, to keep our heads down, and where we would be going in the mountains. The chopper ride took about fifteen minutes to another river confluence that hadn’t been fished since the Trout season closed in New Zealand. It was going to be another warm to hot day for October, and this time we were layered up, or layered down, and with plenty of water. The hike upstream was eventful with a number of spawning fish spotted, let go, ignored, and the scenery was sensational…..wilderness at its finest. In Australia, I can tell you, walking and wading tussock grasses that are waste high in high country as we experienced at Poronui would be troublesome due to snakes, and hidden rabbit burrows. There was none of that here, and you could walk and wade in shorts, if you wanted to. Despite the weather, we once again all caught good fish. More gin clear shallow waters, the occasional stumble, and some great dry fly fishing happened for both groups. A number of fish were unsighted, but they saw us, and bolted. By mid-afternoon, we’d had enough fishing, and called in the chopper to take us back to the lodge. Canapes, a couple of beers, some rest, and preparation for dinner at 7pm. Discussion revolved around the fish, the company, how good the guides were, new friends, and how much the girls enjoyed their massages. Dinner was precided over by Claire, the Lodge Manager, and a jovial, convivial time was had by all. Apart from being happy tired, I think we may have all been more than a bit sad that we were leaving. Saturday, a bit of a sleep in, and after a good nights sleep, a great breakfast, some fond memories, nice fairwells, thank you’s and it was sadly time to go. I hope we can get back and do it all again at Poronui as it really is an unrivalled complete Wilderness Experience……the fish are an added bonus! PS:the photo’s follow… Darryl Luttrell darryl.luttrell@gmail.com where we would be going in the mountains. The chopper ride took about fifteen minutes to another river confluence that hadn’t been fished since the Trout season closed in New Zealand. It was going to be another warm to hot day for October, and this time we were layered up, or layered down, and with plenty of water. The hike upstream was eventful with a number of spawning fish spotted, let go, ignored, and the scenery was sensational…..wilderness at its finest. In Australia, I can tell you, walking and wading tussock grasses that are waste high in high country as we experienced at Poronui would be troublesome due to snakes, and hidden rabbit burrows. There was none of that here, and you could walk and wade in shorts, if you wanted to. Despite the weather, we once again all caught good fish. More gyn clear shallow waters, the occasional stumble, and some great dry fly fishing happened for both groups. A number of fish were unsighted, but they saw us, and bolted. By mid-afternoon, we’d had enough fishing, and called in the chopper to take us back to the lodge. Canapes, a couple of beers, some rest, and preparation for dinner at 7pm. Discussion revolved around the fish, the company, how good the guides were, new friends, and how much the girls enjoyed their massages. Dinner was precided over by Claire, the Lodge Manager, and a jovial, convivial time was had by all. Apart from being happy tired, I think we may have all been more than a bit sad that we were leaving. Saturday, a bit of a sleep in, and after a good nights sleep, a great breakfast, some fond memories, nice fairwells, thank you’s and it was sadly time to go. I hope we can get back and do it all again at Poronui as it really is an unrivalled complete Wilderness Experience……the fish are an added bonus! darryl.luttrell@gmail.com

What a beautiful quiet setting for this amazing lodge. The rooms very spacious and thoughtfully decorated. The food was exquisite and the staff couldn't have been more friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend a visit.