The town pools of the Tongariro River.
Scoring System
| Category | Description | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 3 indicates good car and foot access; 0 indicates poor access. | 3 |
| Difficulty | Reported difficulties getting the fly to the fish or finding the lie. | 2 |
| Setting | Scored for natural beauty and pure enjoyment. | 3 |
| Reliability | Indicates reliability as a top producing pool all year round. | 9 |
| Snags | No likelihood of snags scores 1; if known for snag(s) score 0. | 1 |
| Wading | If waders are not needed, score 1; if difficult to wade then 0. | 1 |
| Pressure | If a pool is too popular and regularly crowded, score 0. | 1 |
| Total | The closer to 20, the better overall rating the pool received. | 20 |
| Pool | Access | Difficulty | Setting | Reliability | Snags | Wading | Pressure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marks out of | (3) | (2) | (3) | (9) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (20) |
| Town Pools | ||||||||
| Hydro | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Breakfast | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Major Jones | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Island | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Judges | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Lonely | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Trolls | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Lower Bridge | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Swirl | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Honeypot | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Vera’s | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Spot X Bypass | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Honeypot | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Stones | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Plank-LHS | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Update x TRM Daily Report 18 August 2011
After Tongariro River Motel posted the excellent well researched informative report on Tuesday about the Bain Pool and pool names etc. one inmate had the audacity to question TRM for not providing better images of Bain Pool location as he was confused where it is. We can’t win… I blamed SWMBO of course. But if he was confused then there are sure to be others.
That is Bain Pool in the foreground above. It was taken prior to the removal of the willows along the TLB below the Honeypot. The flow pattern has changed again since. There is now much more flow down the TLB than through the Plank Pool pines side and the Honeypot has been smashed apart.
Bain Pool is usually approached via the access track in the bottom left of the aerial photo – if you look closely you will see the cars parked at the Plank Pool. Bain is the next pool down river where the Braids end. It is usually fished from the TRB by wading out from the beach.
This older aerial image also serves to indicate why the Braids is so fishy. Migrating trout moving steadily up the wider lower river discover their first real rapid just below Bain Pool and then the river shallows out and splits into various bypasses etc. The shallow riffles and back waters and various options confuse them. So they are more vulnerable as they spend more time here in the Braids inspecting every bypass and sniffing around before continuing further up river looking for Nirvana.
Other images below individually described if you click on the photos. So hopefully the following pics – updates taken late July – are self explanatory and will suffice.
Above – looking up river from the TLB beach below Bain Pool.
Update: December 2010 –
All Town Pool and Lower River Pools are likely to be subject to major physical changes in 2011 as the result of substantial river bed works for erosion control & flood protection with a resource consent application for up to 150,000 m3/year to be removed from below Hydro Pool to the Delta.
Refer to comment below by the Advocates for the Tongariro River:
Tongariro River Gravel Extraction Consent
December 7, 2010
7.12.10
There has been much interest in the Advocates position on the Gravel extraction consent which has been applied for by Environment Waikato.
Turangi experienced a 1 in 100 year flood in February 2004. The flood of 1958 was slightly larger and caused much damage within the river environment. Should another flood the size of 1958 or 2004 return then Turangi is in danger of flooding. Apart from moving the town to another location which is not a realistic option, the town can be protected by increasing the size of the stop banks or removing material that has built up and which endangers the town.
Given this option the Advocates support the removal of gravel and volcanic ash from the river bed to assist the river to move the bed load through to the lake. We do however have reservations about the consent document.
Our concerns are:
1. The action is piecemeal and not part of an overall plan for the river. Our desire is for an Integrated Catchment Management Plan (ICMP) to focus on the whole river and not just a section of it. We want to see an ICMP.
2. The consent period is for 35 years. We see a period of 3 years as reasonable at this time.
3. The consent document is too broad and lacks detail. Many who have seen the document think that 150,000 cubic meters per year will be removedeach year for 35 years, which is not the case, but can be read into the intent of the document. There is concern at the meaning of “diverting the river from the area of the Hydro Pool” by many.
4. The river as a fishery is seen as threatened by many. We don’t see the threat given that the fishery was not affected by the gravel removals at the time of the construction of the town and again recently when some 30,000 cubic meters were removed. We wish to see the consent spell out more strongly the protection of the fishery
The full consent document can be read by clicking on ftp://tongarirorivapps:PrUkcflx@pubftp.ew.govt.nz
It is a big document and takes time to load.
The Advocates will make a submission on these points and other such as an opportunity to dredge the mouth of the river. If you wish to make a submission then it must be with Environment Waikato by the 17th December.
An opportunity exists for you to give us your opinions through this website and we would welcome your opinions.
Eric Wilson
Secretary/Treasurer