Before our ferry to Tiritiri departed we were checking out some fish in the water next to the dock leading to the ferry. On the far end, a local was feeding bait to snappers and kingfish. He told us to come back at 4pm after our visit to the island as there would be more feeding at that time.
The ferry returned at 3.50pm and we lingered to check out the fish again. At around the same spot, a local boat owner was feeding the fish but in addition to the snappers and kingfish, a number of stingrays had arrived. I thought they were too large for the shallow water but the rays themselves didn’t seem to mind. Apparently the fish have been coming to feed for many years and the boat owners were not surprised to see them.
The locals then showed us how to lure the rays to the side of the dock by clapping hard on the wood just above the surface. After a while, amazingly, a stingray climbed partly out of the water up the side of the dock to get handfed with baitfish. We found out that the nearby ice-cream shop and café Ripples sold the baitfish frozen by the dozen for only 8 NZD. This was an easy 5 minute walk so we decided to get some bait ourselves.
After probably 30 mins of trying, hitting the side of the dock and feeding the other fish, quite suddenly a ray came up the side and we were able to feed it ourselves. This was such a fun unexpected experience and a great tip for anyone visiting Gulf Harbour or Tiritiri Matangi island.
That is AWESOME Chris!!