Lake guardian has 'best office in the world'

PROTECTOR: John 'Bugsy' Wilson has helped keep Lake Tarawera's shoreline clean of weed for visitors and anglers for more than four decades. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER 190514SP21

Former brickie John Wilson's body is battered and broken, his face craggy from the elements, but his resolve to keep a popular Lake Tarawera beachfront clean remained undaunted.

Better known as "Bugsy", the avid angler has kept the shoreline and surrounding bush near The Landing jetty as clean as the lake's clear blue water for nearly 50 years.

With his calloused hands strapped with insulation tape to cover cuts, and his knees and hips stiff from arthritis, Bugsy is a one-man assault force against nature's whims. He is "part of the furniture", happily spending his days raking weed, and shifting sand after storms to restore the beachfront for visitors to enjoy.

But when the trout are running, he downs tools and grabs his rod to cast a fly instead.

Recently, tonnes of lake weed washed up on to the beach by autumn storms were among the worst in years, he said.

The foul-smelling weed piled up on the beach, causing an unsightly mess for visitors and a hindrance to anglers eager to take advantage of the trout running.

For the volunteer lake guardian, there was only one solution - the weed had to go.

"It was around half a metre high on the beach ... I think it was the worst storm we have had around here for a long time."

Using a garden rake, he worked tirelessly for three days to clear the beach, piling the putrid mess into bundles to be collected by council workers. He says it is a duty he enjoys, not a chore.

"I've been coming down here to tidy up every winter for 47 years but I've never seen it as bad it was."

If he didn't clear the debris along the beach and nearby track, walkers and anglers would trip and injure themselves.

"Nobody would do it if I didn't," he said. "I like doing what I do, keeping the place tidy for tourists and anglers."

The upside to his labour is he is on the spot when the trout are rising. Most days he goes home with a meal to eat.

"I often catch a big jack, which I give to Fish and Game to help their hatchery breeding programme."

He takes the breeding programme seriously - having made a bag similar in shape to an eel trap, to put in the water and keep the trout alive to pass on to the fishery honchos for safekeeping. Bugsy has his eye on a large, sleek jack he has seen near the old Frog Pond but has yet to be tempted by one of his hand-tied flies.

Another upside are the remarks from visitors - quick to acknowledge Bugsy's conservation skills.

He is so attached to the area he sometimes sleeps in his truck overnight.

"I often get out of bed around 3am and drive over here just to enjoy the peace and quiet in the early - and it's the best time to catch a fish. It's the best office in the world, it's unreal."