Delicious prawns living in Wairakei hot water!

Ruapehu Bulletin, 21 December 1993, Page 5 (Supplement)

Delicious prawns living in Wairakei hot water!

Just north of Taupo is one of the region's newest, and tastiest, attractions. New Zealand's only freshwater prawn farm was established on the banks of the Waikato River, not far from Huka Falls in 1 987 by Aquatech Farms Limited, to meet the increasing demand for fresh and frozen prawns. The Wairakei Prawn

Farm has successfully developed the breeding of tropical fresh water prawns in captivity by using geothermal heat from the neighbouring Wairakei Geothermal Power Station. The prawn farm is the brain-child of Jeff Knewstubb who, while doing a course at the Florida Institute of Technology, decided the Malaysian gi-

ant prawn could be grown in Taupo' s sometimes wintery climate by simulating its home environment. The first prawns were imported in late 1988. The hard work of learning about prawns began, and a variety of obstacles had to be overcome, the first of which was MAF's need to be satisfied that the prawns (if they escaped) would not

survive in the wild. They also had to keep prawn-eat-ing birds away from the heated outside ponds. "Shags, blue herons and kingfishers simply gobbled up our stocks to start with," said Knewstubb. "Shags can eat their own weight in a day and that's a heap of prawns. Some days the birds could hardly get out of the

water after their major prawn pig-out!" The staff erected wind and bird proof netting over the ponds. Beyond the hatchery and outdoor ponds is a giant marquee housing the only riverside bar n' grill in the Taupo area, managed by Richard Klein. The restaurant has been so successful since its debut in October

1990 that 90 per cent of the prawns grown are eaten by New Zealanders and international visitors. Tours of the hatchery run from the eatery. The Bar n' Grill does offer alternatives to those who are not sea-food connoisseurs. Further expansion has included the employment of a marketing manager, Nancy van der

Laan, to expand the tourism potential of both the farm tours and the already popular Bar n' Grill. The farm currently produces over 20,000kg a year and is planning to increase it to 50,000. The Wairakei Prawn Farm offers visitors an insight into a brilliant Kiwi innovation and the prawns don't come any fresher!