An Evening with the Ortons

Many Mangawhai residents will remember the Orton family who moved away some three years ago to follow their dream of sailing around the world.

Tony and Bea ran a successful charter and accommodation business where they specialised in taking overseas clients to fish the Mokohinau Islands, targeting NZ’s world-famous kingfish. They also owned an adventure angling company – Offshore Adventures – hosting mainly Kiwi fishers to many of the world’s hotspots. These trips as well as local content appeared on their website Journey of a Fisherman, where Bea published her recipes. These were also run for many years in NZ Fishing News magazine as part of their Journey of a Fisherman column.

Children Sami and Brooke went to the local primary school and pre-school and were actively involved in soccer and surfing as well as developing a passion for travel and fishing.

As a family they travelled extensively. In his…