Even in its humble beginnings, Poronui was considered amongst the elite in the fly-fishing world. In 1986 it joined a small diverse group of New Zealand fly fishing lodges and very quickly became internationally recognised. It was the brainchild of the late Simon Dickie, himself a passionate fly-fisher. Simon and a few like-minded lodge owners and guides were instrumental in putting New Zealand on the world map as a fly fishing destination.

Sitting around the crackling fire the other night with some of our regular guests we were reminiscing about the ‘old lodge’ and what it was like. It prompted me to look out some old photographs.

Perched on a precipice overlooking the Taharua River the lodge would crack into life each season. While the buildings were not up to the standard that they are today, the photos capture some of the atmosphere and essence of the Poronui magic.

I hope it brings a smile to some of our early guests who will remember the gas lanterns, the caverness BBQ and the hot tub!