History – Not just another tall fishing tale

You have probably heard plenty of fishy fishing stories – many far-fetched, dubious and unverifiable tales. But an encounter with a four-metre white pointer on the Kaipara Harbour one sunny afternoon in May 1965 is undeniable. Proof of the adventure is on display in the Kauri Museum.

The story goes something like this …

Six men set out to catch snapper and ended up shooting a 665.9 kg white pointer shark. The party comprised a man, his launch, his father and two brothers, and two friends. Oh, and a nine-metre metal trace and a shotgun.

Matakohe’s Bruno Weber and his three sons, Ken, Basil and Edsel, went fishing on the Kaipara Harbour in Ken’s launch, Swanee. With them were two friends, Ivan Mockett and Jim Hamlin, of Hukatere.

Now, 60 years later, apart from the story, the only thing remaining of the shark is its jawbone. Measuring 58.4 cm high, 53.8cm wide and 30.5cm deep, it is still an impressive sight. And the rows of teeth and the size of the mouth are testament to the danger the men faced that day. You can see the jaw for yourself, on display in the Volunteers’ Hall at the museum.

According to Ken Weber’s son, Marek, the locals already knew there had been sightings of a large shark in the harbour when they set out to catch snapper. So, they went prepared.

The men had a good morning fishing, and then a seal mauled a fish on one of their lines. The shark appeared, attracted by the seal, and attacked it. The men then turned their attention from snapper fishing to shark ensnarement, determined to catch it. They had with them a nine-metre steel trace – as thick as clothesline wire – and using a large snapper as bait, they managed to hook the shark. A 20-minute battle ensued before the group was able to bring the shark in next to the boat. Things were getting tense by then, so they shot it dead.

Their catch was too large to land on the boat so they towed the shark to the Te Mateotetawa Creek jetty where the Weber family had a sawmill. Marek Weber said the shark was then taken to the Matakohe School where it was photographed and measured. The New Zealand Herald ran an article about the escapade. Eventually, the shark was driven north and sold to Hikurangi Fisheries.

As a footnote, six months later, when the Swanee was taken out of the water for maintenance, Ken Weber discovered a shark’s tooth embedded in the bottom of the boat.

If you want to verify this tale, come and see the jawbone on display at the Kauri Museum. There are also photos, newspaper clippings and an audio recording of an interview with the men, all preserved in the museum’s archives.