The Last Best Place

The Last Best Place - Images of New Zealand Fly Fishing 

By Zane Mirfin, Edited by Bob South
Published by The Halcyon Press, 2008
Soft Cover; 260mm x 190mm, 196 pages, full colour throughout.
Buy from www.strikeadventure.com

 

Book Reviews

The Last Best Place is a celebration of flyfishing in New Zealand.
In his introduction, Bob South, award winning editor of Fish & Game New Zealand magazine, makes a case that Zane Mirfin’s superb photography “confirms that New Zealand, head-and-shoulders above anywhere else, warrants the tag The Last Best Place for flyfishing”. South maintains that Mirfin’s uncanny camerawork allows us all, even the most cynical, to know that, in terms of fly fishing, we’ve certainly come nowhere near the stage where all is lost here, either in the pollution-susceptible lowland systems, in didymo-invaded mountain streams, or deep in the fragile backcountry. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
Zane Mirfin – fishing guide, photographer, and award winning author, has captured the essence of what makes fly fishing in New Zealand unique and special. Over 100 remarkable images reveal the drama, splendour, and excitement that is fly fishing in New Zealand. The images stand alone as a feast for the eye of any angler – each worth more than a thousand words. Each telling its own story.
In place of the usual narrative, editor Bob South has selected quotations from angling icons, writers, and celebrities to complement each of these stunning photos of The Last Best Place.
Back Cover of ‘The Last Best Place’ , Graham Gurr - Publisher, The Halcyon Press, Auckland, New Zealand, October 2008.

Come Fly With Me - Trophy Tome
“That’s the Nunya”, says backcountry fishing guide and photographer Zane Mirfin in answer to my query about the whereabouts of a great-looking trout river. Not one I’d heard of. “Yeah, it’s Nunya effing business” Mirfin laughed.
Dream spots fished with Bob South, an old mate and the creator of Fish & Game Magazine, feature large in The Last Best Place, a gorgeous collection of Mirfin’s images partnered with South’s collection of quotes about fishing.
The Hemingway-esque South has restricted himself to three pages of writing, allowing the pictures their thousand words. And though the book shares a title with a seminal collection of Montana stories, the water this book covers couldn’t be anywhere but New Zealand.
It’s a tempter, a teaser, and a test for the most well-travelled angler seeking that last best place.
Cameron Williamson, Dominion Post Newspaper, Travel Section, Wellington, New Zealand, December 2008.

Angling photos taken on the fly
As any faithful Nelson Mail reader will know, Zane Mirfin likes his fish. Not just stalking and catching them, not just guiding others in pursuit of them, and not, for that matter, just writing about them in his fortnightly Nelson Mail column, Wildside (published on alternate Saturdays in the Weekend section).
Mirfin’s passion for wily trout and all that trying to catch them entails also extends to photographing them, an interest that he more or less stumbled across and has developed to the point of becoming chief photographer for Fish & Game New Zealand magazine. His editor there, Bob South, describes Mirfin’s images as “prodigious”, his camerawork “uncanny”. Proof of what South is on about has just been compiled into a new book, The Last Best Place (Halcyon Press, $49.99), a picture book of some of Mirfin’s work, focused on the angler and his quarry against the backdrop of New Zealand’s glorious backcountry. It is his second book, and the pictures are largely left to speak for themselves, with the text mostly limited to selected memorable quotations relating to fishing.
As South also says, in his introduction in the book, they are photographs that well and truly reinforce that, in an age when anglers have a world to chose from and New Zealand’s waterways face enormous pressures and stresses, those waterways still retain the qualities that make them outstanding.
Mirfin who runs his guiding business, Strike Adventure, out of Nelson, started carrying a camera while out fishing back in the early 1990’s, at the urging of various clients he had been guiding, including a couple of leading fly-fishing photographers of the time. “They were saying to me, ‘get a camera, Zane – you’re out there every day, you’ve got a fantastic opportunity’”. So he did, and while he says he would not claim to be “the worlds best photographer”, he acknowledges that his camera skills, combined with his enormous knowledge of fishing in the top of the south, give him an edge. “The thing for me is, I’m taking different people out all the time, so I’ve got fresh material all the time”, he says. “Being a fisherman…you can see what’s going to appeal to fishermen (through the lens)”. Mirfin is less than precious about his photography, a far cry from some of the rather prima donna-ish behaviour some in the “painting with light” brigade can be accused of. He is certainly not sentimental about the images he captures, although his work speaks for itself.
His friend, fellow fishing guide and fellow photographer Martin de Ruyter – also the Nelson Mail’s chief lensman – describes Mirfin’s photography as “brilliant” reflecting the man’s deep knowledge of fishing as well as his access through guiding, to some of the country’s most beautiful fly-fishing spots. But the technical challenges involved in fly fishing photography should not be underestimated, including, de Ruyter points out, the need to lug in several kilograms of camera gear along with everything else needed for a guided trip. And of course, fishing is inherently unpredictable, the climax often lasting only a matter of seconds. As The Last Best Place demonstrates, Zane Mirfin knows what he’s looking for.
Geoff Collett, Features Editor, The Nelson Mail, December 2008.

The Last Best Place is an ideal gift for any avid angler. It’s a collection of more than 100 photographs displayed over 208 pages that depict the very best this country has to offer in terms of fly fishing for trout. Produced by Halcyon Publishing, The Last Best Place provides a vicarious journey, via Zane Mirfin’s photography, to blissful rivers, streams, and lakes buried in our backcountry. Available at leading bookstores. RRP$49.99 GST incl.
Fish & Game Magazine, In Field, Issue 63.


Have just seen a copy of your book (The Last Best Place) Well done. I really enjoy looking at the images of other photographers, particularly angling photographers. I learn much from them along with feelings of a little envy that they got better angles, action, light etc than I could achieve. The angling action that you have captured is great. It will be viewed repeatedly by many anglers I’m certain. I recognized a few spots – which bought back a few memories. Great work.
Les Hill, Famed NZ Angling Photographer & Author, Hokitika, NZ, December 2008

Last week I was waiting at Christchurch Airport to catch a plane to Sydney. I thought I might go and buy a magazine to read on the plane, and to my amazement at the top of the bookstand was one complete shelf dedicated to fly fishing and fly tying, including Zane Mirfin’s new book ‘The Last Best Place’. It really thrilled me to see fly fishing up there as a top sport…
Ross Walker, President Nelson Trout Fishing Club, Presidents Fly Line Link, May Newsletter 2009.

If nothing else, the title of this book is sure to grab your attention. We fly fishers are suckers for certain catch-phrases. Mention the words “best place” and “fly fishing” in a crowd of seemingly disinterested bystanders, and you will be amazed at how quickly the attention span of those devoted to the gentle pursuit will be focussed on you – sometimes with scorching intensity. Say “the last best place” and you’ll suddenly find yourself surrounded by serious-looking individuals, nervously glancing around at who else may be listening in. Yes, much as we like to share, a good fishing spot is something you don’t brag about – you kind of shy away from the subject when raised, just as you did when your friends started extolling the virtues of that new girl you had your eye on. And, as we discover later in life (married to that same girl), “Most fishermen swiftly learn that it’s a pretty good rule never to show a favourite spot to any fisherman you wouldn’t trust with your wife”. Robert Traver, as quoted in The Last Best Place.) However, this book is not something you should keep quiet about; rather, it should and will be enjoyed by many – even those you can’t trust with your wife.

I’ve known Zane Mirfin for years and have had the privilege of fishing with him in his own backyard, being the pristine streams of New Zealand’s South Island. Zane (or “Mirf” to his friends) is well known in trout circles worldwide, is a respected member of the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides’ Association and has guided many fly fishing luminaries and famous personalities. He is well educated, has authored and contributed to several books on fly fishing, is the recipient of an award for sports journalism, a co-founder of an outdoors political party, writes for several fly fishing magazines and, as you probably suspected, a great fly fisherman. A consummate professional, he is also a world-class photographer, which in my opinion reflects not only skill with a camera, but also the ability to portray to the audience that which they wish to see – in this case, the very soul of your pursuit.

Soon after picking up a copy of The Last Best Place, that’s exactly where you’ll be. A collection of photographs with accompanying quotes, it’s a celebration of everything in fly fishing we hold dear, and the enjoyment you will derive from it positive proof that the age of print is here to stay – for the foreseeable future, at least. This book will not teach you things about fly fishing that you do not already know (although to a non-believer it may be an eye-opener); rather, it will revive in your memory those images, smells, sights, delights, childlike joys and euphoria you have experienced as a fly fisherman. Although, as the subtitle suggests, it features images of New Zealand’s fly fishing, the theme is universal. Through the captivating lens of Mirfin’s camera, you will recognise the moment of joy in the bright smile of the angler holding up his trophy, stand in awe of the beauty of a trout stream, and revel in the solitude and peace that only nature can bring. You will taste the excitement of eyeballing a trout stream for the first time, and feel the fire of adventure burn as you gaze upon landscapes not normally frequented by (nonfishing) humans. You will also sense that kinship with our quarry that is difficult to explain yet impossible to ignore, feel your muscles ache after a hard but satisfying day on the water and, most importantly, be reminded that fly fishing for trout is something you will never tire of.

The photographs are accompanied by quotes from other fly fishers and writers – some famous, some not – most poetic and illustrative of the message the image conveys. For example, next to the photo of a naked fly angler stalking a flock of sheep, says Joseph Heller, American satirical novelist: “When I grow up, I want to be a little boy.” Why does one always have the urge to play the fool when you are having fun? Try taking a photo of a guy in underwear shaking out his waders next to a stream: “There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot,” quips Steven Wright, Academy Award Winner stand-up comic – something only a fly fisherman will understand. Or, when gazing upon a pristine river and angler experiences what John Bailey, author of Reflections From The Water’s Edge, says: “No angler watches nature in a passive way. He enters into it’s very existence”. Perhaps a quote from John Gierach sums it up: “They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that’s not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they’re not such a big deal any more.” If you look deeper, there is also a lot of wisdom in some of the quotes, but most are apt and entertaining.

The Last Best Place is edited by Bob South, and benefits from it. A lifelong fly fisherman, award-winning sports journalist, author of four books on trout fishing, editor of several others and of New Zealand’s Fish & Game magazine, he is amply qualified and an obvious choice for the job. It is clear that South also has the passion and understanding necessary for a book of this nature to succeed in it’s objective.

We all know that the next best thing to fishing is reading about it. The Last Best Place is not so much about reading as it is about reliving and remembering those aspects about fly fishing that hold it dear to our hearts. In fact, right now I can think of nothing better than pouring myself a dram of that amber liquid I keep for really special occasions, grabbing my copy of Mirf’s book, moving the chair closer to the fire, and embarking on a journey to that special place where only fly fishing will take you. And which will leave me fired up for tomorrow, when I’ll grab my fly rod and experience it all again, firsthand. Great book, is all I can say.
PJ Jacobs, Editor, The Complete Fly Fisherman Magazine, South Africa, July 2009, Issue 174 www.completeflyfisherman.co.za