(Waitahanui Rip performing today – Shane has been missing so we thought we would sneak in an update)
Some fly fishos are just sooooo patient. Some unfortunates who do not fly fish may be less charitable (?) and may not understand the following account but I am sure many fishos can associate with TRM’s following new recruit.
We had a couple stay at TRM recently. They shall remain anonymous for reasons which will become obvious.
Approaching retirement age he carefully considered various options for all the spare recreational time he was going to have. He knew he would need a challenging leisurely stress reducing sedate physical activity in the great outdoors, but had wasted his life to date working – a terrible suburban disease. He explained it was like choosing a career change. Bowls, golf, tramping, mountain biking, road cycling, gardening, and fishing were all studied and in the end he wisely selected fly fishing.
So after research at the local library and via the internet, he went to the local tackle shop for a few bare necessities. You know – two rods, two reels, breathable summer waders, wading boots (felt soles, so they will have to go!), neoprene winter waders, fully equipped vests bulging with all the gear, wading jacket, wet weather camo parka, hats, polaroids, fly boxes full of flies for every river and lake condition in NZ. etc. Plus a few inspiring do-it-your-self books, like about ten. But that was three years ago, in 2004. He is plannng to retire in 2009-10 so full marks for preparation. Currently he advises he gets his daily fishing fix from another anonymous "already converted nutter" (his description!) who publish their motel’s daily report. Hence he eventually had to meet Boof to guide him on the river walk.
So, after three years, by 2008, the prospective retirement plan has developed to the serious stage to encourage him to visit TRM to confirm his choice which NZ region and river he was going to concentrate on to learn his new skills. The choices narrowed down to his local Hawkes Bay v’s Rotorua v’s Taupo regions. To confirm he is good at analysis, he finally decided on Taupo region as easiest and was checking out the Tongariro River as the likely preferred river location to further his new career in sedate fitness recreation.
His weekend visit was a further investment in the future spent walking the tracks (completing TRM;s Big Day Out) absorbing the rural and native bush suroundings, studying the river atmosphere in anticipation of finding anglers to decide whether he preferred dry fly, nymphng or wet fly techniques for the long awaited initiation to angling. This was not easy as anglers were very scarce compared to mountain bikers and recreational walkers. In summer most of the dry fly exponents are nocturnal and only emerge when he could not see anything anyway. Neverthless his research has been thorough as, like us, he has now narrowed his proposed new vocation down to the Big T. I think he was then going to return next summer to decide which pool…
But the most interesting discovery to us was that we only learnt all this on his departure. His wife confessed to Pip when she handed in the key. So he was immediately arrested by motel police for wasting too much good leisure fishing time on research and booked in for an intensive half day conversion course asap on how to stand in the river waving one of his poles around with a tiny hairy hooked thingy on the end of the string bit beyond the woolly budgie. The "catching trout" phase may even coincide.. They will be back.
Meanwhile, continuing TRM’s never ending story of the swallows… if you have missed all the excitement, you will need to look up the Daily Report on 18 January for the extended family (their "whanau" in Turangi) photos and the epic saga of their nest building efforts. 
In preparation for flying lessons, TRM have built a ramp, a special swallows runaway, as a launching pad under their nest as indicated in the photo on right. You can see Pip’s favourite Fluffy demonstrating his/her ADHD characteristics squealing out for his evening meal – freshly caught "organic" (of course) mashed insects – in the photo below.
31 January 2008
TONGARIRO POWER SCHEME FLOW CHANGES
Genesis Energy wishes to advise that the Poutu Canal maintenance programme has been postponed indefinitely. Genesis Energy has been requested to do everything possible to maximise generation due to the current shortage of electricity generation, particularly in the North Island.
Generation is short in the North Island due to a combination of reasons including an extended period of dry weather reducing inflows to hydro stations, constraints with the Cook Strait cable, reduced generation at Huntly Power Station due to river heating, the Taranaki Combined Cycle Unit being out for major overhauls for the next 8 weeks and the recent closure of the New Plymouth Power Station.
Poutu Canal will be reinstated on the evening of Sunday 3rd February. Flows will be gradually diverted into the canal from the Tongariro River overnight. Consequently flows in the Tongariro River below Poutu Intake will return to the minimum flow of 16 cumecs by the early morning of Monday 4th February. It should be noted that these flows will be subject to natural variation (e.g. weather events) and rare, but possible unplanned generation flow changes.
We regret the short notice for this change in operation and appreciate that this will inconvenience some river users. Unfortunately these circumstances were not foreseen and are unavoidable. We will keep the public informed if there is going to be any change to this situation.
If you have any questions or require further information please contact me on 07 3847246 or 021 681360, or contact Tracey Hickman on 021 745 657
Yours sincerely
Bonny Lawrence
Environmental Coordinator