Fishing in New Zealand takes a little planning if one hopes to be successful. First good gear is absolutely essential, starting with a good pair of wading boots with sticky rubber and cleated soles. (No felt soles allowed in New Zealand.) We wet wade most of the time and it’s not uncommon to walk four or five miles a day looking for that trophy fish. Earth tones or camo colored clothing is a smart move as you need to blend in. A five or a six weight, nine or nine and a half foot, faster action fly rod will be appreciated. My favorite is a 596-4 Sage ONE matched with a RIO Grand five weight floating line. I often find that I am casting from a kneeling position or in deep water so the extra six inches of rod length is an advantage. Twelve foot tapered leaders are a good to start with, we rarely use anything shorter and often end up with much longer leaders of eighteen feet, or more. For the last few seasons I have gone to the RIO steelhead and salmon tapered leaders which turn over larger flies like the cicadas or Super Beetles with ease.