John Hamill
John Hamill is the owner of Cruise and Fish Rotorua and has been a full time professional guide / skipper since 1996. John has specialised in fishing adventures from Rotorua in the central North Island’s Lakes, Rivers and Streams. He grew up fishing with skills passed on from his father Bill Hamill. Bill co founded a hunting and fishing store from a love of game bird hunting and fishing and it still carries his name today, Hamill’s NZ. John has taken the passion that Bill had and followed it into guiding.
Bill’s favourite lake was Lake Tarawera and is where some of Rotorua’s best Rainbow Trout come from. There is something spiritual and special about the bush, thermal springs and the volcanic splendour of Mount Tarawera as a backdrop to the fishing and is why John love’s fishing the lake like Bill did.
From the total beginner to the expert, John loves sharing the passion that is fishing. With his years of fishing experience, John is committed to your enjoyment of your fishing adventure with him whether it’s a helicopter fly fishing adventure to time out fishing and cruising on the lake.
John’s favourite times are sight fishing for wild rainbow and cunning brown trout in crystal clear waters surrounded by our beautiful native bush; the stealthy stalk up the river and to first spot your fish before tempting it with a dry fly or nymph is heart in the mouth exciting. This is the reward and is what fly fishing in New Zealand is famous for. Sighting and casting to these wild trout will leave snapshots in your mind for the rest of your life.
John holds a commercial launch masters qualification and is a member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association giving peace of mind that all concessions, licences, insurance and health and safety legal requirements are in place.
Accommodation & Travel Partners
We guide from most of Rotorua’s recognised fishing lodges and accommodation providers, Particularly with the likes of Solitaire Lodge, On the Point - Lake Rotorua, Treetops Lodge and Estate, Black Swan, Regent of Rotorua and Koura Lodge use our expert services. We have teamed up with Boutique Travel and are part of their amazing collection of NZ travel itineraries. The likes of inbound agents that you can book through are First Light Travel, Pacific Destinations, The Exclusive Travel Group, Pan Pacific , Tapoi Travel, Beyond the Blue and Southern Crossings can make amazing itineraries that can include special time with us on Lake Tarawera and NZ.
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