Even by Willie Rika's standards, it was a monster of a pig.
The Aranga farmhand caught a wild boar weighing over 80kg in the Kaihu bush - his biggest ever in the Kaipara.
Mr Rika has caught bigger pigs, but in the Taupo area a few years ago.
He uses no gun, just
stealth and five strong, especially bred dogs.
"I was listening for the pig because you get to know the sounds they make even as they move through the bush.
"I thought I saw it dart past me but the dogs were soon on its trail," he said.
Mr Rika said moments later he heard the dogs barking furiously and knew they had something.
"There was a huge rumbling noise and it was the dogs having a big fight with the boar in a creek ... It was a mean scrap," he said.
When Mr Rika reached the creek, all five dogs had the huge boar in a deadlock by its ears.
While most people see pig hunting as a past-time, for many hunters in isolated areas it's a way of putting food on the table.
"We give a lot of meat away to friends and family because it's not easy to just jump in the car and go to town for food," Mr Rika said.
And it's not just a male past-time - the women are out in the bush hunting down pigs as well.
Mr Rika's partner Pauline Davies is a seasoned hunter but has been confined to the home since the couple's three-month old daughter Shynia was born.
"I enjoy getting out there and getting the big ones too," she said.
