Ngawi (pronounced "naa-wee"), a commercial fishing village and 'unique port' on the Southern Wairarapa Coast, had its heyday as a processing centre for crayfish (rock lobster) in the 1980s. This is not the usual 'port with wharves and jetties', the fishing boats are based on the open coast and launched straight off the beach. This calls for some tricky and clever manoeuvering of craft and bulldozers in the wild heavy surf conditions that prevail in this exposed region.
Link to Ngawi video: (
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The fishing village nestles beneath the cliffs along the wild coast, beneath the bright beam from the Cape Palliser lighthouse, defiantly facing the wrath of the ocean and the bleak blustery Antarctic winds, the sound of the surf swishing up the pebble beach and the piercing cry of seagulls circling overhead. Another day has dawned in this quirky little fishing village of Ngawi in Palliser Bay.
The following information written in 2011 is an excerpt from an article in the New Zealand Herald by Paul Rush. He has written about the village of Ngawi so accurately, describing a unique and amazing little slice of the New Zealand coastline. One of our very special favourite places, we could not have described it any better ourselves.
*** "The isolated community of Ngawi, with just 40 permanent residents, is a special place where it pays to linger awhile.
It's a place where hard men and resourceful women pit themselves against the wild ocean in order to make a good living from crayfishing. For many years the humble colony of fishermen in this tiny far-flung outpost have tried to tame the Palliser Bay seas by using massive bulldozers to launch their boats on the steeply-sloping gravel beach.
The aluminium-hulled fishing boats are carried on huge trailers with tall metal stanchions on each side to restrain lateral movement.
Once the boat hulls are submerged, the skippers apply full power to punch through the swells in a shower of spray and spume. Once beyond the surf line it's down to the serious business of laying out long-lines or retrieving a string of metal crayfish pots.
The fisher folk of Ngawi are our North Island equivalent of the intrepid Alaskan king crab fishermen on The Deadliest Catch. Cook Strait may not be the Bering Sea, but it's still one of the wildest, most unpredictable stretches of ocean on the planet.
A stocky, bearded fisherman is grinding off encrusted rust on the well-weathered hull of his boat. I chat with him about his restoration work and ask his opinion of the inherent dangers of his occupation. He is philosophical, saying that high risk means high rewards. 'With a strong boat and good teamwork we can make it work', he says.
'Sometimes in a southerly blow we push the boundaries but we generally know how far to go. When a wheelhouse window shatters and the sea pours in we know we've gone too far.'
I'm intrigued to discover that amongst all the wild, wave-defying action in Ngawi, there's a little whimsy.
One fishing boat parked on the hard standing sits behind a nifty little bulldozer that's painted bright pink. A name plate identifies this little nautical wonder as 'Babe'. It stands out among the motley crew of assorted rusting monsters that are grinding out their final days....There's a compelling uniqueness about living in a community that has more bulldozers per capita than anywhere else in the world." ***
Ahhhh, beautiful NGAWI....simply paradise.... where happy bulldozers retire!
The location has a large population of fur seals, and is popular not just with commercial fishermen but also recreational fishermen. The best fish to catch are Paua (a type of abalone which is prized for its iridescent shell as well as the flesh), crayfish (also known as rock lobster), and cod. The place is popular with all types of fishermen, including spearfishers. Now dozens of 'dozers' with rusted trailers line the steeply sloping beach. With some boats the size of small trawlers, the bulldozers need to be correspondingly large. This colourful line-up of bulldozers and boats has become a valued tourist attraction.
We had already been to Ngawi several times over the years, visiting the lighthouse, exploring the beaches and car-camping on the isolated shoreline amongst the wild seals. We had woken to find a large seal sleeping right beside our car. We had already fallen in love with this special piece of Paradise.
Now the whole of New Zealand has fallen in love with the fishing village of Ngawi after the heart-warming advert on Television for Lotto. Watch the advert on YouTube......
Link featuring Ngawi on the Lotto Ad on New Zealand TV: (
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...the story of a grandfather looking after his grandson, they live in Ngawi while the little boy's fisherman father works on a fishing boat at sea, they win Lotto and fulfill the little boy's fantasy of being a pirate. It was filmed locally in the village of Ngawi. Look carefully, you will see the open desolate Ngawi coastline with the bulldozers and commercial fishing boats lined up on the beach.