TWO MISSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 239, 9 October 1928, Page 7

TWO MISSIONS.

FARMING AND ANGLING, i ■ ■ i ■ * f I MR. ALMA BAKER RETURNS. - ! PREVIOUS QUEST FOR MYSTERY FISH. "I'm here again," said Mr. Alma Baker, the well-known angler, in his bluff and bfcezv manner when he arrived by the Marama this morning from Sydney. '"A bit of farming first," eaid Mr. Baker,-^n"-indicating his pending intentions, and he went on to say that on the big station which he had bought near the Waikato Heads 1:2 was experimenting with Corriedalc sheep and was anxious to be there when the shearing started in a few weeks' time.

On Ihe topic of angling'the visitor spoke enthusiastically. He is planning a trip to the Bay of Islands in search of mako shark and swordfisli, he will continue the deep-sea quest in the vicinity of Mayor Island, and, in addition, has designs on the big rout which frequent the blue waters of Lake Taupo* - Mr. Baker said that he had received a letter from Mr. Zane Grey, who would be here in December. The well-known American angler had decided to give th® deep-sea fishing in the vicinity of Mayor Island a thorough try out, but it was also possible that Mr. Grey would' also pay a visit to the Northland deep sea fishing grounds. In the course of a chat on deep sea fishing, Mr. Baker mentioned: the mvs- - tery fighting fish known as ahuriri, which, according to the Maoris, haunted ' the vicinity of Spirits Bay and thereabouts in the far north, and of which no living specimen had yet been taken. "On one of my previous fishing visits here I went five hundred miles in search of ahuriri," said Mr. Baker, "but wo never got a sight of one." He does not think that up in the vicinity of the North Cape and the Three Kings deep sea fishing will ever seriously be tried. "The trouble is there are no anchorages," concluded Mr. Baker, "and in the case of bad weather there is a long way to run to get shelter."