It took two Northland fishermen just over an hour to catch a 363.8 kilogram black marlin.
Friends Craig Johnson and Kurt Bennetto had heard tales of the massive fish surfacing near the Hen and Chickens Islands, 40km southeast of Whangarei.
They'd been out over a week ago looking for the beast, but come Waitangi Day they were finally in luck when they hooked the fish amongst a school of trevally, using a kahawai as live bait.
The pair battled the fish for an hour and a quarter using a 37kg line from on board their six-metre "tinny" named Indecision.
"That's quick for (landing) a black marlin because they're one of the strongest marlins and they're a pretty stubborn fish," Mr Johnson said.