Where did these come from?
On Tim’s Fishing blog (X Grieg Sports) yesterday he mentioned how nice it was for Council to provide some seats overlooking the Tongariro River at long last. After we listened to his video report I felt obliged to correct that impression, SWMBO hustled me off to provide the photos as the seats were donated by anon kind considerate public-minded responsible thoughtful good looking local residents from Herekiekie Street and Grace Road. i.e. NOT the Council!
At the end of Herekiekie Street on the TRB (True Right Bank looking downriver) of the Tongariro River is a delightful little reserve blocked off and overlooking the lower Bridge Pool on the Tongariro River. Most locals, particularly residents in Herekiekie Street and Grace Road, refer to this as the “Wilson Reserve”. We will try to explain… The last house in Herekiekie Street was occupied by the late Les Wilson who lost most of their land when the river claimed it. The Wilson Reserve is the locals’ pleasant way of remembering Les. Often Tongariro River fishing pools have similar reminiscence stories that created their naming rights over the years.
There are other similar nice little rest spots along the river that need a seat for tourist trampers to rest and listen to the chorus from the Tuis. Hopefully, these places will soon have seating too.
Anglers and tourists really value these little rest stops – such as the seat at the back of Creel Lodge looking over the spawning bypass. It is so sad to see them suffer from graffiti and damage from irresponsible kids. Their latest attacks in Turangi included a forced entry into the guest activity room at Parklands Motel and now to vandalise the Turtle Pool. Very sad…
Despite these attacks destroying people’s morale, these other recreational donations go some way to restore the positivity and confidence of local residents – the seats are a thoughtful improvement and add so much value to many tourist anglers experience when walking downriver to fish the Braids or along the river trails. So thank you local residents!
