Man cave
Won’t Stay
at Home DaD
– Lee Griggs
31
It certainly was unchartered territory for me when my wife and I decided that it
would be a good move for the both of us to share the work/home life balance.
But the persona of a stay at home dad is
one that I feel extremely comfortable in. I’ve
dabbled in a few career paths, none of which
ever fulfilled me like staying home to raise
my son. adventures, taking the lead in his bossy two
year old way. I have to curb my frustrations
when a grand adventure takes on a different
route at the mercy of George’s imagination
and his will to see what lies beyond.
Whilst parenting has its days, and certainly is
a 24/7 job, it’s one I feel can reward you like
no other. On most of our ‘Daddy days’, George
and I try to fill our time on some sort of
adventure, whether it’s going on a walk, bike
ride, or down to the pool for some water play
if the weather is in our favour. But I remind myself as we delve off the side
path, this is all for his learning and character
building, not my own. Hopefully nurturing
an inquisitive, open minded and fun filled
individual as he grows in to a young man
himself.
You may have read some of our adventures
from the ‘Won’t Stay At Home Dad’ column
or online blog. I feel it’s important to get kids
outside and experience nature as much as
possible, and luckily George always responds
well to the fresh air, the sights of lambs in the
paddock or boats on the sounds.
However, as George approaches the ‘terrible
twos’, I’m on a steep learning curve. He’s
becoming much more animated within our
If you’re keen to get your kids outside and
experience more of Marlborough’s backyard,
visit the ‘Won’t Stay at Home Dad’ blog on
Facebook, where you’ll be able to catch up on
some of the best spots that Marlborough has
to offer young families.
I’ll hopefully see you and your family out there
on the trails sometime soon.
Cheers Lee
april tips
Jacob Lucas, Nelson Marlborough Fish & Game
As the days shorten and evening dew sets in,
the night chirruping of crickets signals that
Autumn is well and truly here. For the trout
angler, April is still a fantastic month for trout
fishing. Trout are actively feeding, packing on
condition for the rigours of spawning ahead.
Brown trout, in particular, display remarkable
colourations this time of year: striking golden
flanks, darkened bellies and green backs,
resplendent with haloed red and black spots.
Settled autumnal weather will typically see
rivers in a period of relative composure, with
stable flows, cool nights, and warm days.
Trout, as well as other aquatic native taonga,
have been given respite from hot summer
water temperatures that have been a mark of
the summer gone, and which have certainly
taken toll.
Prolific mayfly hatches feature in the autumn
months and are a sight to behold. Spending
most of their lives underwater clinging to
rocks and stones feeding on algae, mayfly
larvae rise to the surface at their time of
maturity and break out into a winged dun,
ready for their last few days on earth. Trout,
always in tune, respond immediately, and can
be seen gorging themselves on the hapless
beings, evident by dimples on the water
surface emanating from where a mayfly
once lay.
Locally, Nelson Marlborough Fish &
Game have been busy trying to keep local
anglers happy, with releases of trout into
Marlborough waterways. Lake Argyle, in the
Wairau Valley, has just received another boost
to the lake population with a tanker load of
4-6 pound rainbow trout. Anglers seeking
solitude will be pleased to hear of another
400 large rainbow trout which are to be
liberated into the Branch and Leatham Rivers,
tributaries of the Wairau, in early April.
These fish are transported via helicopter
monsoon bucket to the upper reaches of both
rivers, and is entirely funded by Trustpower.
The trout will be all sporting coloured tags
with unique numbers, so if you catch one of
these, please inform Fish & Game.
With just a few short weeks to go until the
close of the regular season, we encourage you
to make the most of it. Many of our rivers
will be off limits to anglers at the end of the
month to allow the trout to spawn in peace,
however fear not, there will be still plenty of
fishing opportunities on offer during winter,
including Lake Argyle, the Wairau River (below
Wash Bridge), and the lower Pelorus to name
a few. For the very first time, the Rai River will
be open for winter fishing from the Pelorus
confluence to Carluke Bridge. Tight lines!