The Tongariro River Motel is in Turangi half way to everywhere at the southern end of Lake Taupo. Turangi is the gateway to the central mountains of New Zealand’s North Island and is situated between Auckland and Wellington on State Highway 1 alongside the Tongariro River. Driving Times to Turangi: Auckland: 4.5 hours (Unless your name is SWMBO who takes three days) Wellington: 4 hours Palmerston North: 2 hours Rotorua: 1.5 hours Taupo: 40 minutes (SWMBO – six hours) Tongariro River Motel is located just off State Highway 1 on the corner of Link Road and Taupahi Road and is just a few minutes walk to the Tongariro River. Above right: Situation of Tongariro River Motel with State Highway 1 in foreground and entrance from side street – Link Road on left and Taupahi Road at rear. Tongariro River Motel on corner in foreground with Tongariro River – Major Jones Pool – located 3 minutes walk away beyond residential housing.

On the map below, click and drag to move the map or use the arrow buttons. Use the + and – buttons to zoom the map in and out. Click the pin for location information.

 

Daily Report for 31 May 2012:

Fishing Report on Nirvana(?)

(Image above of severe rush hour traffic congestion on Taupahi Road outside TRM)

Recent magazine feature articles have examined population growth trends in NZ asking just how big is big enough?  Quite right too.  These include North & South magazine (available at TRM) and now growth is being questioned in an editorial in a fishing magazine?  Now even anglers are concerned…

After watching NZ’s population double over the last 50 years SWMBO thinks She understands your deep concern.  But what to do?  Here we can offer TRM’s solution to the problem.

For anglers, and everyone else similarly confirms, all population growth has achieved is to double the problems, and halve the benefits.

i.e. Since I started fishing the Tongariro the maximum daily catch reduced from no limit to 21 to 10 to 8 to 3.  Amazing!

DAILY BAG LIMIT

1926 – 25
1950 – 6
1953 – 8
1960 – no limit
1963 – 21
1971 – 10
1980 – 8
1991 – 3
2012 – ? (To be advised)

(See, this really is a fishing report…)

The bulging demographic profiles of cities and their lack of progress over the last hundred years – where quality of life has been compromised for growth and quality in anything replaced by quantity – makes everyone nervous about the future.

So this is a reminder from TRM that if you try you can still find Heaven on Earth.

You are so quick – I can see you have already selected the same location as us to achieve “Nirvana” (defined in my Reed dictionary as a state of extreme bliss or enlightenment).

TURANGI (Where else?)

How?  Can you believe this is the only town which has reversed the national trend purely in the interests of anglers.

Turangi town centre was designed in the 1960′s to service a local resident population of up to 10,000.  The peak population was about 6,500 in the mid 1970′s.  Since then it has fallen to less than half its peak..  Over a 15 year period up until the last official census in 2006 – the resident population fell 16%.  In the same 15 year period the NZ population increased 19%.

According to SWMBO’s “new maths” arithmetic (She was a teacher), that places Turangi 35% behind the rest of NZ in population growth but 35% ahead in benefits.

(SWMBO suggests there are three kinds of people in the world; those who are good at maths, and those who are not…)

So while the rest of the world struggles to keep pace with growth, congestion, pollution, traffic, overcrowding, we Turangians – the  enlightened ones – have halved our population and doubled our benefits.  Simple!

Have a nice day….

Don’t believe us?  Just test us and book now for a slice of Nirvana.  But not this weekend as the Tongariro will be flooded by disillusioned Jaffas (Just Another Friendly Fantastic Aucklander) fleeing the concrete jungle rat race traffic jams desperately seeking brief respite in Nirvana, and they are the lucky ones…

2013 school terms and holidays

Following is in response to enquiries from Australian anglers wanting to visit outside of the school holidays.

It should be considered as a broad programme only as so many private schools have a different curriculum.

2013 school term dates for state and state-integrated primary, intermediate, secondary and composite schools.

Primary and intermediate schools

Start date    End date
Term 1    Between
Monday 28 January (at the earliest); and
Thursday 7 February (at the latest)    Friday 19 April
(98-112 half-days)
Term 2    Monday 6 May    Friday 12 July
(98 half-days)
Term 3    Monday 29 July    Friday 27 September
(90 half-days)
Term 4    Monday 14 October    No later than Friday 20 December
(98 half-days)*
* Or to a day in December which ensures that the school has been open for instruction for 384 half-days in 2013.

Secondary and composite schools

Start date    End date
Term 1    Between
Monday 28 January (at the earliest); and
Thursday 7 February (at the latest)    Friday 19 April
(98-112 half-days)
Term 2    Monday 6 May    Friday 12 July
(98 half-days)
Term 3    Monday 29 July    Friday 27 September
(90 half-days)
Term 4    Monday 14 October    Wednesday 18 December
(94 half-days)*
* Or to a day in December which ensures that the school has been open for instruction for 380 half-days in 2013.

Other holidays

New Year’s Day
2 January
Waitangi Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Easter Tuesday
Anzac Day
the Sovereign’s birthday
Labour Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
and the day observed in the locality in which the school is situated as anniversary day.