Boat fishing is great for "one hit wonders and" 'overnight heros". Anyone can get lucky and a good skipper will have the biggest influence on the outcome rather than the angler. To get to a stage (we are all striving for it) when one can be consistently successful when surfcasting is not easy and will require much study and application. No heros here, you must do your apprenticeship and put in the hours.
"Want to catch a marlin", no problem. Buy a half share charter out of the Bay of Islands and you may achieve what you want in half an hour. "Want to catch a snapper on 90 Mile Beach". be prepared to invest plenty of time and effort to achieve that. Bet you feel better about the snapper than the marlin from a personal point of view.