Discover 10 Spectacular Fish Found in New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country located southeast of Australia. There are two main islands and hundreds of smaller islands off the coast. Besides some of the massive deep-sea fish, New Zealand’s lakes and rivers have an abundance of trout and salmon. For colorful fish, head out to one of the dive spots like Coromandel or Poor Knights Island; here, you will see hundreds of tropical fish all swimming amongst the coral reefs.

Read on to discover 10 spectacular fish found in New Zealand!

1)  Snapper

When it comes to spectacular fish found in New Zealand, the snapper is one of the most coveted. Snapper are marine fish that have a very distinctive look. They are reddish pink on the top, white or silver on the bottom, and their dorsal fin is quite fancy. The dorsal fin has spikes at the top of each groove that fans back to nearly the tail. Snappers also have small light blue dots scattered on their back. These fish can be 40 inches long, but most are pretty small.

In New Zealand, they are one of the more common fish in the northern communities and can also be found in the Hauraki Gulf. They prefer to hide in sandy or muddy-bottomed habitats or along rocky coral reefs. The smaller ones hang out together in schools, while some of the larger, older ones can be found swimming on their own. Snappers have a long life span of up to 60 years!

2) Tarakihi

These are elliptical, silvery fish with a black band behind the eyes and a forked tail. The average Tarakihi is around 14 inches long but can get up to 28 inches long. They belong to the Cheilodactylidae family, also known as the morwong family, and are sometimes called ocean bream. Tarakihi can be found off the coast of New Zealand and Australia. In New Zealand, they are most common around the South Island and south of East Cape, which is on the North Island (the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and South Island). It is common to find a group of Tarakihi together since they are schooling fish. Tarakihi are commercially fished because they are an excellent food fish and are delicious pan-fried, or smoked.

3) Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin tuna are one of the tuna species you can find off the coast of New Zealand. They get their name from the striking yellow fins that contrast nicely with their metallic blue-silver bodies. If you are familiar with the TV show Wicked Tuna, then you know just how big tuna can get! Yellowfin are big, but not as big as bluefin tuna. Yellowfin tuna can be up to 7 feet long and weigh as much as 450 pounds.

That may sound massive, but it is not as impressive compared to bluefin. According to the International Game Fish Association, the giant bluefin tuna on record was a whopping 1,496 pounds! That was not caught in New Zealand but off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. The fishing for yellowfin tuna is good around New Zealand especially off the coast of Russell in the Bay of Islands or Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.

4) Striped Marlin

Several marlin species are found in New Zealand, but the striped marlin is one of the most common. Marlin are billfish similar to swordfish and sailfish. Their upper jaw extends to form a sword or long skinny bill. Striped marlin are blue-green on the top half of their bodies and white to light grey on the bottom. It is easy to tell a striped marlin from a blue marlin due to the obvious vertical white stripes along their sides. Striped marlin average around 10-12 feet long and weigh between 250-450 pounds, with the larger ones sometimes reaching almost 14 feet.

The largest striped marlin on record was caught in New Zealand. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) verified the biggest catch that Bill Boniface caught on January 16, 1986. Boniface was fishing out of Tutukaka around Poor Knights Island, off the northeastern coast of the North Island. After an epic battle, he got the striper into his boat and officially weighed. It tipped the scales at nearly 500 pounds with an official weight of 494 pounds!

5) Kingfish

Kingfish are a famous catch in the Hauraki Gulf located northeast of the North Island near Auckland. The name “kingfish” is sometimes used to describe a variety of species, but the kingfish in New Zealand are the Seriola lalandi, also called yellowtail amberjack. These torpedo-shaped fish are greenish-grey on top and white below, with a yellowish triangle dorsal fin that starts halfway back and leads to the yellowish tail. These spectacular fish can be five feet long and weigh between 22-66 pounds. They are most abundant between December and May but can be found throughout the year. Kingfish are schooling fish that can sometimes be seen in a school of 100 fish or more.

6) Rainbow Trout

New Zealand also has some spectacular fish in its beautiful lakes and rivers. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand, located right in the middle of the North Island. Here you will find spectacular rainbow trout. They live in cool, deeper areas of the lake and some of the surrounding tributaries, especially when rainbow trout head upstream to spawn. Fishing in the Tongariro River is common during these spawning periods.

Rainbow trout vary in coloration depending on the season, but they are typically silver with colorful hues. They are covered in black spots and have a horizontal reddish-pink stripe from the head to the tail. They can range in size from 12-24 inches, but some have been recorded to reach 45 inches. Their weight ranges from 10-30 pounds, with average catches in New Zealand in the 9-11 pound range.

7) Chinook Salmon

Chinook salmon are also called king salmon due to their size. They are the largest species of salmon in New Zealand and are typically 22-33 pounds however, the all-tackle record with the IGFA is a 97-pound, 4-ounce chinook caught off the coast of Alaska. They are sliver fish with dark black speckles on their back. During the spawning period, they turn a reddish-purple on their bellies.

In New Zealand, you can find chinook salmon on the east coast of the South Island from the Waiau River to the Clutha River in South Otago. On the west coast, there are smaller populations in the, Taramakau, Paringa and Hokitika rivers.

8) Blue Maomao

Some of the most spectacular fish found in New Zealand are along the colorful coral reefs. Although the Great Barrier Reef of neighboring Australia may get more attention, the reefs of New Zealand are teeming with a wide range of amazing fish. Goat Island and Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve are two popular dive areas. Here you will find schools of blue maomao. Blue maomao are ray-finned fish that are sometimes called violet sweep. They can get to be 18 inches long. They are a bright blue color and when swimming in schools they are sight to see!

9) Pink Maomao

Pink maomao are another spectacular fish you might see while diving in New Zealand. As you probably guessed, they are like blue maomao but pink. These maomao are around 11-12 inches but can reach 22 inches. They live in the same habitat as blue maomao and swim in schools. Just like blue maomao, they feed on plankton. Schools of pink maomao are frequently seen around Poor Knights Island.

10) John Dory

One of the craziest-looking fish is the John Dory. These fish have a dorsal fin with long spikey spines jutting out of it. One of the most distinguishing features is the eye-like blueish spot on both sides of the fish. Their oval bodies are olive-brown in color and are around 12-16 inches long. In New Zealand, they are commonly found by the Bay of Plenty on the North Island. They may not be the best-looking fish, but they are tasty!

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