Neil Cunnington of Sporting Life Turangi

Manic mate, super nice guy and all-round top bloke, Mr Neil Cunnington is one of the key team members and fly fishing gurus at the famous Sporting Life Outfitters store in Turangi. Neil is by no means new to the fly fishing industry, with experience working in the trade in Australia and previously at Sporting Life for a numbers year. This time Neil has returned to New Zealand from Australia with his wife to live, work and enjoy the lifestyle of Turangi with its easy going pace and fishing right on the doorstep.

Neil is a talented fly angler with his knowledge stretching much further than fly fishing for trout in Turangi and the Central Plateau fisheries, which he knows very well. He also happens to be an expert saltwater fly angler with many hours of experience had on the waters and has successfully targeted and landed a wide range of impressive saltwater species from his home waters back in Australia.

Sporting Life has a long history as one of the best fishing stores in the country. The reputation earned from providing their expertise and advice to Kiwi and overseas anglers for decades now. When you combine this with a very comprehensive product range of the best gear you can get your hands on, then it is easy to see why. There are not many places in the world that would top Turangi as the ultimate destination for fly fishing. There is so much on offer here, it really is the gate way to many fishing opportunities. Whether it be right in town on the Tongariro river, just down the way on Lake Taupo, or the many other lakes and back country rivers and streams nearby, it’s all there to be had. We are very fortunate that the Tongariro River and other Lake Taupo tributaries like the Tauranga-Taupo River offer year-round fishing within their winter limits. Quality fishing is available year-round, this really does make for a diverse and unique fishery and is a suitable home for to all fly casting techniques adding another great element to the experience.