Whitebait season: Annual hunt for 'white gold' underway

Whitebait season: Annual hunt for 'white gold' underway

For many in Taranaki and Waikato that means a trek to the Mōkau and Awakino awa, where whitebait stands change hands for tens of thousands of dollars.

Annual hunt for whitebait underway

Reading Time: 5 minutes By Robin Martin of RNZ Whitebaiters have begun their annual pilgrimage to the nation’s tidal rivers and streams this week as the two-month-long season for the elusive “white gold” starts. For many in Taranaki and Waikato, that meant a trek to the Mōkau and Awakino awa where whitebait stands change hands for tens of thousands of dollars. Spaced no less than 30 metres apart, almost 850 whitebait stands line the banks of the…