한국 낚시 vs 뉴질랜드 낚시: 배 예약·비용·면허, 이렇게 달라요

If you are used to boat fishing in Korea, the price list is the first thing that looks unfamiliar when you try to book a boat in New Zealand. Prices are split into "share charter" and "private charter", and whether rods and bait are included differs from one operator to the next. This post compares licences, boat booking, cost, catch limits and safety rules, using the law and official guidance of each country. The short version: neither country requires a personal licence for sea fishing, and in New Zealand only freshwater fishing needs a paid licence. A boat trip costs roughly 70,000–120,000 won per person in Korea, as far as I know, and a share charter in New Zealand is $75–450 per person on the price lists of five operators.

At a glance

Won figures are rough conversions at 1 New Zealand dollar = about 750 won (the basic exchange rate in early October 2026). Prices and rules change often, so check the official sites and the operator's page before you go.

Licences: none for the sea in either country, paid for fresh water in New Zealand

Korea's basic fishing law is the Fishing Management and Promotion Act. It has no licence or permit clause for individual anglers. The ones who need a permit, registration or notification are the businesses that run fishing grounds and fishing boats.

The sea is the same in New Zealand. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) states in its fishing rules that you do not need a licence to fish in the sea, but you do need one for freshwater fishing in lakes and rivers.

You buy the freshwater licence from Fish & Game. An adult season licence is $158 (about 118,000 won) and a day licence is $25 (about 19,000 won). People who do not live in New Zealand pay more: $273 for the season (about 205,000 won) and $39 for a day (about 29,000 won). The Taupō area needs a separate DOC licence. The licence types and how to buy them are in my post on trout fishing in New Zealand.

Booking a boat: a passenger list in Korea, share or private in New Zealand

When you board a fishing boat in Korea, you fill in a passenger list. It is a legal step. The operator must have each passenger fill in the list and must check it against ID, and must refuse boarding to anyone who declines without good reason. The operator must also carry insurance or mutual-aid cover for harm to passengers.

In New Zealand the system on the operator's side is different. A charter operator who takes people fishing for payment must register with MPI and re-register every year. The operator also files an electronic catch report for every trip with fare-paying passengers. I could not confirm in official material whether passengers have any legal paperwork of their own.

You book through the operator's website, a booking page, or by phone, and there are two kinds of trip.

• Share charter: you join people you do not know and pay a per-person price.
• Private charter (hire whole boat): you hire the entire boat. Korean anglers call this a "dokbae".

Share boats are bigger than you might expect. Blue Ocean Charters in Tauranga says its 16 m boat carries 12–25 people on weekdays and up to 30 at weekends.

If you find it hard to choose an operator, try the FishingBooker app (or website). You can search charters by place, date and group size, compare them, read reviews and book. The currency shown depends on where you connect from, so check that the price is in New Zealand dollars. My channel also has a video on how to book a fishing boat (in Korean).

Cost: the per-person price and the extras

In Korea a boat trip usually costs roughly 70,000–120,000 won per person. That is not an official statistic. It is the rough range I know, and it varies by region, target species and season. Check the exact price in a booking app or with the boat operator.

The New Zealand prices are as the operators list them. This is the range for these operators, not an average.

Put Korea's 70,000–120,000 won beside the $75–450 of the five New Zealand operators and the cheaper New Zealand prices ($75–105, about 56,000–79,000 won) look similar to the lower end of the Korean range on paper. But the New Zealand range runs from half-day trips to 12-hour and 24-hour trips, and gear may or may not be included, so it is not a like-for-like comparison.

For a private charter, divide by the number of people. Northside Adventures' $1,680 split six ways is $280 each (about 210,000 won). That is my own division.

Ask about the extras in advance. Beyond what the table lists, Striker Sea Charters has a package of reel, bait, tackle and ice for $50 per person (about 37,000 won).

Cancellation terms differ too. With Tauranga Marine Charters, cancelling within 48 hours of departure forfeits the whole deposit. Warfish Marine Charters gives a full refund if the trip is cancelled for bad weather.

Two mussel farm charters Bbadomi picks

If you set out from Tauranga, these two are the ones worth going to. I have been to both.

The first is Mussel Barge Snapper Safaris in Coromandel. It leaves from Hannafords Wharf at Te Kouma and targets snapper among the mussel farms. A private charter is from $1,400 for a half day and from $2,700 for a full day (10 hours). You apply through Request a Booking on the website and meet at the wharf 30 minutes before the trip. Rods and bait are extra, as in the table.

Below is the video I shot when I went out on this boat (in Korean).

The second is Ohiwa Fishing Charters in Ōhope. It goes by jet boat from Ōhope Wharf out to the Ōpōtiki mussel farm. The share price is for the spot only, so you bring your own bait, tackle and ice. The boat sails once 12 people have booked, and it is cash only on board. If the weather stops the trip, they text you the night before. A private charter is $1,100 for a half day (up to 16 people). You pick a date on the website calendar, and the booking is confirmed only when you follow the link they email you.

The video below is also one I shot when I went out on this boat (in Korean).

How much you can keep: closed seasons and sizes vs daily bag limits

In Korea, closed seasons and minimum sizes apply to recreational anglers as well. The species-by-species standards are in the Enforcement Decree of the Fisheries Resources Management Act, and a province, city, county or district can set stricter ones by ordinance. Breaking them carries an administrative fine of up to 3 million won.

New Zealand manages it with daily bag limits and minimum legal sizes. In the Auckland and Kermadec area, which includes Tauranga, one person can take a combined total of 20 finfish a day. Within that, snapper on the east coast is 7 fish with a minimum of 30 cm, and kingfish is 3 fish at 75 cm.

No licence does not mean no rules. The limit applies to each person fishing, not to the boat. The numbers by area and how to use the app are in my guide to New Zealand sea fishing rules.

Your catch and your safety: no selling, lifejackets, closed areas

Selling what you catch is banned in both countries. In Korea, selling fish caught by angling, or storing, transporting or displaying it for sale, carries an administrative fine of up to 3 million won. In New Zealand it is illegal to buy, sell or swap recreationally caught seafood, and the fine is up to $250,000 (about 190 million won).

On a Korean fishing boat, everyone on board must wear a lifejacket. In New Zealand, a nationwide rule from October 2026 requires everyone on a recreational craft of 6 m or less to wear a lifejacket while it is under way. That is a rule for private boats. I could not confirm the rule for charter passengers.

There are also places where you cannot fish. In Korea, fishing inside a fishing control zone designated by the head of a city, county or district carries an administrative fine of up to 3 million won. In New Zealand, no fishing of any kind is allowed inside a marine reserve. The Tūhua (Mayor Island) Marine Reserve off Tauranga is one. If you fish from rocks or a breakwater, see my post on rock fishing safety as well.

What to ask when you book a boat in New Zealand for the first time

1. Whether it is a share or a private charter, and how many people will be on board
2. Whether rods, tackle, bait and ice are included, and how much they cost if not
3. Whether they fillet the catch
4. What the refund is if the trip is cancelled for weather
5. The meeting place and time, and whether lunch is provided

You can ask it like this.

• "Is this a share charter or a private charter?"
• "Are rods, tackle and bait included?"
• "What happens if the trip is cancelled due to weather?"
• "Do you fillet the catch?"

Related reading

• Types of fishing at a glance: surfcasting, lure, jigging, drone and boat