Great people, Leya, Scotty and all guides and staff were fantastic. Beautiful property, very self proficient conserving water and growing their own vegatables, fruits and eggs from their chooks. If you want a personal flyfishing experience you have to book a week at River Haven, helicopter access is well worth it.
Wild, South Island brown trout are not easy, but if you want to test your fly fishing skills against some of the world's best, River Haven Lodge (RHL) is the place to do it. I just returned from my 13th NZ fly fishing trip and my 12th fishing with the guides at RHL. Scott, Leya, Doug and the lodge staff are all fantastic. Beautiful riverside cabins, main lodge and landscaped grounds. Wonderful meals, great service, excellent, reasonably priced helicopter service into backcountry rivers, and the best fly fishing guides I have ever fished with. Everything about RHL is world class. I've done a lot of fly fishing travel and a lot of fly fishing to tough trout back home in Colorado, but sight fishing to big, South Island brown trout is absolutely the most exciting and rewarding fly fishing I have ever done. During my 14 days fishing out of RHL this trip, I landed 15 trophy (8 lb. +) browns, and 5 of those were between 10 and 12.5 lb. All on my 4 and 5-weight rods. Most were on mayfly nymphs, but the trophies also included a beautiful 8 lb. brown on a #14 parachute mayfly pattern dry fly. We helicoptered into the backcountry 8 of the 14 days to some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. For a trout fly fishing finatic like me, it doesn't get any better. We had a couple of tough weather days, but RHL's strategic location, experienced guides and access to a wide variety of streams in different river drainages means fewer days lost to weather. While other South Island lodges/guides were cancelling due to rain, we were fly fishing and doing well on smaller rivers that clear quickly. Just bring your fly fishing A game for these brown trout.…
This is the lodge dreams are made of. Scott Leah and Doug made my fishing trip life changing fun. The rooms are comfortable, the food is excellent and the guides are knowledgeable and experts at spotting fish and getting what the fish want to eat. The location is in a great place with many nearby rivers. Come here for some of the absolute best times of your life!
The lodge and three cabins nestled in the woods off Rt 6 and the Mangles River near Murchison are like a fly fisher’s heaven. The log cabins have a rustic pioneering flavor but with all the modern touches like heated towel bars, ultra pure water captured from rainwater, high end bedding, custom surfaces made from slabs of NZ hardwood and TV with a zillion channels that we would never use given the beauty of the area. The bed was firm, the shower was hot and strong and the wi-FI worked fine in our cabin and in the lodge area. Our hosts, Scotty and Leya Murray, are down to earth folks that catered to our culinary tastes for the three nights we stayed there. Drinks precede dinner and all three meals were included in the rates. Guests are served all at one large table so you are eating with others. Scotty and Doug are both excellent guides which is why most people stay at the lodge. I caught my largest trout ever after a large rainfall period when conditions were not ideal. Hiking trails are abundant in the area for those so inclined as Murchison is on the southern end of Kahurangi National Park. I choose this lodge over other comparable lodges in the area because of my perception of a more personal experience and it exceeded my expectations.…
My trip to River Haven Lodge was a trip that I will never forget. Scott and Leya have truly created a place that not only offers world class fishing, but a world class experience. The brown trout fishing and the beauty of New Zealand truly exceeded my expectations. Leya pours her heart into every meal and the food was amazing! Scott and Doug do an excellent job getting to know you as angler and providing you with the right situations and guidance. Their patience and expertise are unmatched. The fishing, the food, the laughs.... I consider these great folks friends after just one visit and I'm sure you will too!
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