catch of the day

Waimarama is a classic east coast beach, a vast stretch of sand with the waves rolling out to the Pacific Ocean. But though it looks benevolent it always pays to take care – there can be nasty rips here.

Lots of the locals use horses to get around this prettiest of bays. You often see them going for a canter down the beach on horseback.

It's time to slap on the sunscreen as the crew sets up for the shoot. Fisherman Wooly has the latest high-tech gadgetry – including a GPS-guided kontiki machine.

There's a bit of a knack to baiting the line – it goes out at a fair old pace so you have to clip the baited hooks on pronto without getting caught up!

The rules for kontiki fishing are the same as for long-lining – a maximum of 25 hooks and no more than nine fish for every person actively involved with deploying and retrieving the line. We just have to hope we'll get a few lucky strikes!

I need binoculars to see where our torpedo kontiki has got to – it's miles out, just a tiny blimp on the horizon.

Now for the waiting game – a few tinnies and a bit of a chat. I think I’ve just figured out why the boys like to go fishing!

It’s hungry work this fishing business, but my Picnic Roast Chicken Rolls with Horseradish Slaw hit the spot perfectly.

Success! The first fish landed, a beautiful big gurnard – such a sweet, firm-fleshed fish ideal for curries and pies.

I'd just got set up to cook our fish on the back of Big Yellow when the wind kicked in and the sand started to fly – I’m sure that’s where sandwiches got their name!

You don’t need much for a good picnic on the beach – some firewood, a few rugs to sit on, a bucket to put out the fire and we’re sorted.

It looks like a picnic, now all we need are some people to share it with!