Yesterday, the oyster addict, whose habit cost "about $75 a week" during the season, joined others to wait for the first of the delicacy to arrive in Dunedin.
Mr Kye, originally of Invercargill, said he developed his taste for the seafood when he was 5.
"There used to be a neighbour who had them and we’d go there with a big pickling jar and just fill it."
He still indulged in oyster sandwiches but, at $26.95 a dozen, his childhood snack had become an expensive one.
"I have a bad habit, but the Bluff oyster is the best in the world."
Mervin McEwan (80), of Dunedin, said oysters kept him going.
"I’m full of cancer, so it might be my last season."
He devoured the treat "raw with vinegar, with a cold beer" or "cooked, with a cold beer".
The men were among 30 customers to queue for 20 minutes before the first arrival of 180 dozen oysters at Harbour Fish in Dunedin.
Harbour Fish retail manager Nancy Anderson said she had sold oysters on the first day of the season for nine years and their popularity had not waned.
Barnes Oysters manager Graeme Wright said bad weather had hampered the start of the season.
"The cupboards are empty.
"It’s a wild fishery, so it is very much weather-dependent."
He was confident people’s cravings for oysters would be sated.
"Everybody wants them. We just have to have three or four days of fine weather and let the boats get out there."
The catch limit was set at 15 million, but the industry had a self-imposed quota of 10 million, Mr Wright said.
