KEY POINTS:
A visiting South African fisherman was left with a painful reminder today of the one that got away.
The 42-year-old Britain-based man, who was holidaying in New Zealand, was fishing at Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel when he hooked a 12kg stingray.
After a 45 minute struggle he eventually managed to reel it into shore, but when he went to pull it out of the water it spiked him in the arm and escaped.
The man covered the wound with insulation tape to stop the bleeding, but eventually sought hospital treatment, Waikato District Health Board said in a statement.
The man was released from hospital this afternoon.
- NZPA
