Lower Tongariro River update – after the flood:

Following the 500 cumec flood last week some anxious anglers wanted an update on the state of the lower Tongariro River – below the Bridge Pool. This morning Juno led me for an 8 km tramp down river to inspect any damage and to try to report back on the fishing… TRM are expecting a fishing club for this weekend and they need reassurance that the pools are stilll there…

The fishing reports varied so I am relying on knowledgeable experienced 15 year old Henry from Ngaruawahia for the fishing comments. I found him changing his fly in the Braids bypass in front of Tongariro Lodge. He reports that since the flood the fishing in both town pools and lower river has been “bonza”! Or something like that. That’s all you need! Thank you Henry. But for more pics of any changes, keep reading…

Lower Bridge Pool flow looks faster than previously above Herekiekie Street access.

Proceeding down the river the photos should tell the story. Hopefully, regular Tongariro junkies will recognise the locations. Sections of the bypass around the Braids have been smashed. Other parts – see Henry above – looked unchanged. A lot more water volume appears to be flowing down the TRB which makes a mockery of all the work the council did to excavate the canal down the TLB a few years ago.

The view across the bypass from the Braids car park – appears wider now?
The old Bain Pool has been largely washed away.
There is still a huge concrete pipe buried in there somewhere from June 2006 when the council tried to build a road across. It was washed away two days later…

Some of the access spots are a mess. Below are the steps down and across the bypass to Duffs Pool. DOC have some work ahead to restore them.

DOC added steps a few years after the TRM team dug steps to improve access after I got stuck there – see 2016 photo below.
TRM staff Hannah helping to dig out the steps down to Duffs Pool bypass.

The access onto Reed Pool will need refilling with gravel off the beach.

The recent flood has definitely caused more aggradation in the lower reaches. The stronger flow shifted many tons of sand and pumice and possibly ash down the river, but the power from the 500 cumec flood was not maintained long enough to move it beyond Jones Pool. According to other fishos, instead of spawning gravels, in the lower river they are now wading on soft sand. This is not good…

The Log Pool below Duffs Pool escaped much surface damage. It is underwater that may have suffered?

Reeds Pool below the Log Pool below the island.
Looking back up over the tail of Reeds Pool.
Looking down the TRB towards Jones Pool.

Anglers trudging down river will also notice many other little changes. The shelter belt (beside the access track) to Chris Brown’s vineyard has been removed.

The photo of Chris below is to illustrate the height of a really big flood on his vines back in January 2011. So all in all, historically, the flood was not as bad as feared and we got away lightly.

Finally, to prove there are still some fresh run trout making their spawning runs after the flood, this is Max from Pukawa returning from Reeds Pool.