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May Marie Charters
Charter operator

May Marie Charters

Paihia, New Zealand
100+ reviews
We're a family-owned business with a love of fishing. Our Skipper, Trent, has been a keen fisho all his life, having caught his first fish when he was just 3 years old. He started deck-handing when he was 14 years old and, at the time of attaining his SRL, was the youngest Skipper in NZ. He's enthusiastic, friendly and a skilled fisherman. He has salt in his veins and loves getting out on the water with guests, teaching them some tricks of the trade and seeing the excitement as guests reel in their catch. Trent is down-to-earth and guests love his sense of humour and easy-going manner.

Charter

Rating

4.8
233 reviews
4.7
Boat & Equipment
4.8
Captain & Crew
4.8
Fishing Experience

What anglers say

95%
Good experience
98%
Friendly captain
98%
Recommend this charter
86%
Appropriate for children
99%
Satisfied with the boat
92%
Caught fish

All reviews (233)

Showing 1 – 5 of 233 reviews
  • Chelsea Puru
    Chelsea Puru
    nz
    New Zealand
    Member since 2026
    5.0
    Verified
    NEW

    October fishing trip

    5 Hour Trip – Snapper Shared (PM) • 2 adults

    My dad wanted to go for his 60th he had the best time and enjoyed it so much that he now wants to make it a birthday tradition! He came home with an incredible catch 🤟 Enough fish that fed 5 families 😊 If you're thinking about booking, do it — you won't be disappointed. I will definitely be booking again for a girls day out next time!

  • Brad Stanton
    Brad Stanton
    Repeat angler
    nz
    New Zealand
    Member since 2026
    2 trips
    5.0
    Verified
    NEW

    A must do when in Paihia or Russel

    5 Hour Trip – Snapper Shared (PM) • 4 adults

    Weve had 2 trips out on the May Narie now and they have both been epic. awesome crew, beautiful scenery and loads of fish. Taking home loads of freshly filleted fish at the end of the day feels like that pays for the outing. we’ll always do this charter when we are in the bay 👍👍👍

  • Jason Mcfadyen
    Jason Mcfadyen
    au
    Australia
    Member since 2026
    5.0
    Verified
    NEW

    Great trip!

    7 Hour Kingfish Trip (Shared) • 2 adults

    Trip was great, booked the kingfish charter and since the king fishing was slow they crew asked us if we wanted to stay out longer and switch out focus to snapper and other species, which we said yes and ended up coming home with some great fish at the end of the day. Overall couldn't recomend May Marie more!

  • Venasio Crawley
    Venasio Crawley
    nz
    New Zealand
    Member since 2026
    5.0
    Verified

    46 snapper: The BEST Fishing Charter Day - EVER!!!

    5 Hour Snapper Trip (Private) • 7 adults

    May Marie - should take the title for BEST Charter for every other month of the year: Jan Marie, Feb Marie, Mar Marie…through to Dec Marie. We had a Monday booking but because of Cyclone Vaiana, May Marie Charters kindly pushed our fishing trip out to Tuesday morning. We were a family of 7 and had a private charter which we found 100% fair value $$$ exchange for the experience of a lifetime. The crew headed up by Captain Trent Morgan and super-deckhand Johnny Van-Eyk always made us feel safe, were professional, personable, patient, courteous, kind, caring and great fun and nothing was a problem. We spent our first hour chasing schools of bait and caught lots of live bait. They did everything from setting up rods, hooking up bait, unhooking our catch, boiled the kettle for a cuppa, once loaded up with bait, we went snapper fishing. Aged from 13-64, we all caught plenty of fish, especially the teens who got bites every time they put their lines into the sea. 46 snapper, 5 kahawai and 1 kingfish (not quite big enough so returned with my sisters initials on the fish as she caught it). Johnny with help from Captain Trent, cleaned, filleted and bagged our large haul of fish. Johnny even prepared the freshest Ocean-to-plate sashimi. We are back at our rental, we butter panned fried snapper for lunch and made a beautiful Samoan oka (ceviche) which is chilling in the fridge for later. Fish is re-bagged, and covered with salt-ice in the fridge for sharing with friends tomorrow. Choose May Marie Charters - reliable and stable boat (especially if you have choppy seas), They have the best rating because it’s been earned honestly and with hard work and incredible customer care!!! MAY MARIE KNOW ALL THE SECRET FISHING SPOTS, GUARANTEED TO CATCH FISH. BONUS: They have a kettle for hot drinks, waters and even some chips snacks if you wanted some. SEVEN STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

    Response from Charter operator

    Awww you guys!! We are so humbled reading this review - thank you so much for your kind words. Trent and Johnny work really hard to make each trip a truly memorable experience so to have this feedback is truly wonderful. They had an absolutely wonderful day out with your family today and we love that you have a great feed to take home to share with friends and family. Thanks again for choosing us. We will hopefully see you back on board again soon!

  • Genaya Cations
    Genaya Cations
    nz
    New Zealand
    Member since 2026
    5.0
    Verified

    Such a great day!

    5 Hour Trip – Snapper Shared • 3 adults

    I have been on a couple of charters and this has been the best by far. The weather was perfect, the team were a vibe and they were attentive to the guests! Even spending quality time with a young boy and giving him the experience of his life, making sure he catches a Kingi - his target fish. The boat was extremely clean - this was a bonus, because you usually expect charters to be slightly messy, but this was by far the best - almost looking new, but knowing it's not, as they clean as they go...this is probably not important to other people, but I loved everything about it...thank you May Marie - you are amazing!!!

    Reported catch:
    Pink Snapper
    Australian Salmon
    Response from Charter operator

    Thank you so much for your kind words - this has made our day! The guys loved having you on board and stoked to help get the young fella his kingi! Thanks again for choosing May Marie Charters and we hope to see you back this way again in the future!

Real catches shared by our community

  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Angler displaying a large red snapper aboard a charter boat, with fellow anglers, rods, and landing net visible offshore.
    Fish 1
    Red Snapper
    John J.
    John J.
    We caught some large snapper piggys and some bait fish started slow then the captains experience showed as he moved us to find some really nice snaper it was so much fun
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Angler holding a large amberjack aboard a fishing boat offshore, with a second crew member visible and fishing gear in the background.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Yellowtail Amberjack
    Arthur G.
    Arthur G.
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Angler proudly holding a large red snapper aboard a fishing boat, with another adult and additional catch visible near the dock.
    Fish 1
    Red Snapper
    Chelsea P.
    Chelsea P.
    My dad wanted to go for his 60th he had the best time and enjoyed it so much that he now wants to make it a birthday tradition! He came home with an incredible catch 🤟 Enough fish that fed 5 families 😊 If you're thinking about booking, do it — you won't be disappointed. I will definitely be booking again for a girls day out next time!
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Large display of multiple red snapper and other reef fish arranged across the deck of a fishing boat offshore.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Red Snapper
    Brad S.
    Brad S.
    Weve had 2 trips out on the May Narie now and they have both been epic. awesome crew, beautiful scenery and loads of fish. Taking home loads of freshly filleted fish at the end of the day feels like that pays for the outing. we’ll always do this charter when we are in the bay 👍👍👍
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Angler proudly displaying a large Snapper while fishing on a boat, surrounded by fellow anglers enjoying a day on the water.
    Fish 1
    Pink Snapper
    Brian A.
    Brian A.
    船长具备很好的专业水平，比如安全讲解、平稳驾驶、准确抛锚等。 船长的服务也很好，并且提供了标准化的服务。 船员的服务更加贴心，尤其是给客人挂鱼饵的时候特别认真，值得点赞👍 由于我是第一次来新西兰海钓，英文很差，担心船长的区别对待并不存在！
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Two anglers preparing for a fishing trip on a charter boat at dawn, with a serene harbor view in the background.
    Chris W.
    Chris W.
    Not our best day fishing on May Marie. I have been out several times before on the May Marie and caught some big snapper. We tried for Kingfish this time and one of us landed a decent kingfish. That was exciting for all of us and enough fish for a few days back at the resort. We also went out two days later for a snapper trip and caught some small snapper but no where near our pb’s on May Marie a few years earlier. A really good crew made it once again a great day out in the Bay.
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    A blue cooler filled with freshly caught Snapper, showcasing a successful fishing trip.
    Fish 1
    Pink Snapper
    George K.
    George K.
    Trent and Johnny were very helpful in advisong beginners/tourists like ourselves! Highly recommended for bwginners and tourists!
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    Group of anglers preparing for a fishing trip at a dock, with fishing rods visible and seagulls in the background.
    Fish 1
    Red Snapper
    Geoff &.
    Geoff &.
    Trent & Johny provided a great mornings fishing... the fishing gear top class... the boat ideally suited & their knowledge superb... and to top it off the catch was filleted & bagged for those on board. Very highly recommended indeed!!!
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    A proud angler holding a large Snapper while fishing on a boat, showcasing a successful day on the water.
    Fish 1
    Red Snapper
    Mark A.
    Mark A.
    Had a great half day with Trent and Max. caught heaps of bait fish which was fun and was lucky enought to land a large snapper….and a few others of size. Would highly recommend.
  • May Marie Charters
    May Marie ChartersPaihia
    A young angler is preparing a large Snapper on the deck of the boat, showcasing the catch after a successful fishing trip.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Red Snapper
    Venasio C.
    Venasio C.
    May Marie - should take the title for BEST Charter for every other month of the year: Jan Marie, Feb Marie, Mar Marie…through to Dec Marie. We had a Monday booking but because of Cyclone Vaiana, May Marie Charters kindly pushed our fishing trip out to Tuesday morning. We were a family of 7 and had a private charter which we found 100% fair value $$$ exchange for the experience of a lifetime. The crew headed up by Captain Trent Morgan and super-deckhand Johnny Van-Eyk always made us feel safe, were professional, personable, patient, courteous, kind, caring and great fun and nothing was a problem. We spent our first hour chasing schools of bait and caught lots of live bait. They did everything from setting up rods, hooking up bait, unhooking our catch, boiled the kettle for a cuppa, once loaded up with bait, we went snapper fishing. Aged from 13-64, we all caught plenty of fish, especially the teens who got bites every time they put their lines into the sea. 46 snapper, 5 kahawai and 1 kingfish (not quite big enough so returned with my sisters initials on the fish as she caught it). Johnny with help from Captain Trent, cleaned, filleted and bagged our large haul of fish. Johnny even prepared the freshest Ocean-to-plate sashimi. We are back at our rental, we butter panned fried snapper for lunch and made a beautiful Samoan oka (ceviche) which is chilling in the fridge for later. Fish is re-bagged, and covered with salt-ice in the fridge for sharing with friends tomorrow. Choose May Marie Charters - reliable and stable boat (especially if you have choppy seas), They have the best rating because it’s been earned honestly and with hard work and incredible customer care!!! MAY MARIE KNOW ALL THE SECRET FISHING SPOTS, GUARANTEED TO CATCH FISH. BONUS: They have a kettle for hot drinks, waters and even some chips snacks if you wanted some. SEVEN STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What's biting with May Marie Charters in Paihia

Kingfish are at their peak once again, and you can expect fairly consistent fishing nearshore for Snapper, Nannygai, John Dory, and the like. Paihia's big game fishing season is just around the corner.

Top catches for November