KEY POINTS:
Would you wait up to an hour and a half for a good feed of fish and chips?
It's not uncommon at the Mangonui Fish Shop in the Far North, which has become one of the country's most popular fish shops.
Co-owner Alan Wright says that while things
have been "reasonably busy", with at least 700 orders placed yesterday, the 16 fulltime staff will be under siege over the coming weeks.
The shop, which has sweeping views over the Far North's pohutukawa-fringed Doubtless Bay, has 50 tonnes of quota, made up mainly of bluenose, snapper, blue cod and tarakihi all caught in local waters and all sold almost as quickly as they are caught.
"It's just fresh fish and you can't beat that," said Mr Wright. "Mind you, having a view like this and a cold beer to go with it helps.
"But we do clean our vats out every single day, we also make our own batter - just don't ask me what the recipe is.
"I think it's also important for you to hang the baskets up for three minutes after they are pulled out of the oil."
Mr Wright bought the shop about five years ago after discussing the idea with some mates in a nearby pub.
Among the offerings on sale are punnets of raw fish, mussels, shrimp, smoked fish, Pacific oysters and lots of crayfish.
It's not cheap: battered oysters are $2 each and the store's famed bluenose goes for more than $50 a kilogram.
But that doesn't frighten off the punters, many of whom have come here on the store's reputation for its incredibly fresh fish, and the place is humming with a smorgasbord of locals, holidaymakers and international travellers.
Tour companies get priority over other clientele.
Over the next week, staff will fillet and sell more than a tonne of fish, a tonne of chips and sell hundreds of crayfish, costing $59 a kilogram.
Mr Wright said he had given up on entering competitions for the best fish and chip shop because his work is "hard enough as it is".
"Obviously with this success there are a few people who will try and knock you down - there was one guy who said we had dyed our chips to get the colour we do and another who complained that we didn't have any lemon wedges even though it was at that time of year when it's really hard to get them.
"But we've had plenty of compliments from people all over the world who say these are the best fish and chips they've ever had."
Jemma Dixon, a visiting 21-year-old student from Manchester, said the meal she enjoyed there with her sister and three friends, also from England, was "fantastic".
"But it's not the same without mushy peas and curry sauce."
MANGONUI FISH SHOP
Sales over the next three weeks:
* Three tonnes of chips
* Three tonnes of fresh fish
* Hundreds of crayfish