Bumper entries as era ends
Organisers of Hawke's Bay's biggest fishing tournament are hoping for near-record entries as the event ends 35 years of one of New Zealand's most enduring sports sponsorships.
Amid the sentimentality of the occasion, more than 500 rods and about 150 boats are expected for the three-day event, starting next Thursday at Ahuriri. While entries are taken up to the start, there are incentives for "early-bird" entries, which close today.
The tournament was founded by the Hawke's Bay Game Fishing Club in 1978, and was known in its early years as the Coruba Shark Hunt.
The club and the event have since undergone changes of name. It is now the Hawke's Bay Sports Fishing Club and the event, sometimes also referred to as Coruba Megafish, is now known simply as the Coruba Tournament, featuring $100,000 of prizes. President Shane King is confident of relaunching next year under a new name.
