Clarke Gayford: Don't leave town until you've seen the Hauraki Gulf

The Hauraki Gulf. Photo / Mike Bhana

A slogan's job is to set up camp in a bit of brain real estate, triggering an action when required. One of the earliest I can recall was Tourism New Zealand's 1984 call to arms for us to "Don't leave town, till you've seen the country". An effort, I assume, to drive a bit of regional tourism, perhaps to counter growing international air travel, which had started whipping more of us away to exotic places like Australia.

It's a shame you don't go through duty free to get to New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, because that's about the only part missing from having an exotic holiday experience right on your door step, albeit for a fraction of the price.

It's an undeniable gem that for years has been hiding in plain sight. Now though, with more tourism operators taking advantage of what's on Auckland's doorstep, it's really started to open up.

So many of us have no idea that the gulf is home to more than 50 islands, each with a unique story and often quite colourful history, especially during early settler arrivals - from quarantine holding posts on boats coming in, to bays used by departing ships to sober up sailors before heading to open water. There was even a boat to sail working ladies from Thames in the Coromandel to the Duke of Marlborough in the Bay of Islands, as seasons changed from gold mining to whaling.

But humans aside, the gulf holds one of the most astounding concentrations of life found just about anywhere on Earth.

Clarke Gayford with DOC threatened species ambassador Nicola Toki. Photo / Mike Bhana

For a start, 40 whales call it home. They are a baleen whale species, Bryde's whale, but pronounced Brooders, because English is odd sometimes. Whales that you can see on just about any day of the year now thanks to Auckland's Whale and Dolphin Watch Safari. Of the 20,000 customers they take each year, 75 per cent are foreign tourists, all who spend and stay locally, pouring millions of dollars through Auckland's economy each year. The business relies on having healthy water to maintain the animals that sustain their business.

The gulf also has a staggering 20 per cent of the world's biodiversity in seabirds. Let that hang in an updraft for a second; of the entire planet of seabirds, more than 20 per cent - 70 different species - can be seen in the geographical armpit of our North Island. There are five types of seabird that breed nowhere else in the world. Which is why the race to arrest the current degradation caused by the pressures of our nearby urbanisation, farming run-off and overfishing is so important.

Slow fishing days have turned me into a bit of bird-nerd to pass the time. This helps with fishing, as certain birds will hover over certain types of baitfish, improving your chances of catching what swims underneath.

The birds and the whales all rely on the harbour's krill, shrimps and baitfish whose numbers are affected by the quality of the water we let run out into the harbour. It's crucial we get that right and quickly.

With more of the islands now visitor-friendly, more people are making the most of it. Anyone who has tried to book a stay on Tiritiri Matangi, a protected reserve off the tip of the Whangaparāoa peninsula, will tell you how popular that trip has become, often booked up months in advance.

Another island, restricted to visitors and described as the true jewel in the DOC estate, is also found here; Te Hauturu O Toi, or Little Barrier Island. It's been a reserve since 1896 and predator-free thanks to a mammoth trapping and pest eradication programme. Our largest weta and our stitchbird, aka the weta punga and hihi, once common in mainland New Zealand, were wiped out by introduced pests and now only exist in the world thanks to lone populations on Te Hauturu o Toi. To hear the birdsong on the island is to listen back in time to what Captain Cook and other early settlers described as a deafening chorus. The island is a glimpse of how good a predator-free environment could be.

Clarke Gayford holds a tuatara. Photo / Mike Bhana

From day trips to Waiheke, to lodge stays on Great Barrier or perhaps a rented bach on Rakino. Maybe a fishing trip to the Mokohinau Islands, or a cup of tea at Mansion Bay on Kawau. All levels of engagement are well catered-for in a literal gulf of opportunities.

Now might be a good time to bring back that 80s tourism catch-cry, tweaked slightly for the Hauraki Gulf; "Don't leave town until you've seen the islands".

No passport required.

Clarke Gayford hosts Fish of the Day, Sundays at 5.30pm on Three

Chef Mark Southon's pan fried snapper with a smoked tomato butter sauce. Photo / Mike Bhana

Pan-fried snapper with a smoked tomato butter sauce

4 good sized snapper fillets, (180g) skin on
60g diced prawns
50g diced chorizo
60g corn kernels
Sweet corn puree
Spring onion oil

Dry the skin of the snapper, add to a medium hot pan with a little oil and cook skin side down for 5-6 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flatten the fillet slightly to ensure a level surface and even colouring. Flip the fish and cook for 1 minute then remove from the pan.
In the same pan saute the prawns and chorizo for 1 minute then add the corn kernels to warm.
To plate, swipe some corn puree on to the plate, spoon over the prawn mix and top with the fish, then drizzle over some sauce and spring onion oil.

Sauce
1kg tomatoes
6-8 basil leaves
Splash of cream
Smoked manuka butter
1 lemon

Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a food processor with a good pinch of salt and 6 basil leaves, pulse 5-6 times then hang overnight in a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
Reduce the liquid by half, add a small splash of cream and whisk in enough butter to thicken. Season.
Finish the sauce with a little squeeze of lemon and freshly chopped basil.

Recipe by Chef Mark Southon