From the Red Hut down to the Hydro Pools.
Yesterday, TRM’s blog explained how the American author, Zane Grey, was funded by the NZ Government to promote the Tongariro River trout fishing to achieve dizzy tourist status on the world anglers’ map, by his 1926 fishing visit and subsequent book.
Today the story is about even more notable Royal tourist fishing visitors who added more class and made the Tongariro Pools even more famous throughout the angling world.
Almost one hundred years ago, in 1927, the Duke & Duchess of York camped on the Tongariro River banks and fished where the Duchess Pool was named in Her honour.
A brief video of the Duchess Pool is below:
The Duchess was the late Queen Elizabeth’s mother. The accommodation was built for her visit by the local prisoners and was eventually moved north to where an anglers’ camp was located and eventually became the nucleus of the Trout Centre.
To continue “family” traditions, Queen Elizabeth also fished the Tongariro River. For Her accommodation, the Government arranged the warden’s house inside the prison camp, where the security is reputed to be better than outside! The Tongariro River effectively provides a physical barrier and separates the town of Turangi on the western side from the prison farm and forestry on the eastern side. Since then King Charles also fished the Taupo region so SWMBO is now anxiously anticipating a booking from either William or Harry to confirm who will continue the family tradition?
The survey of the middle pools continues downriver from Red Hut where there is a large car park and toilet. This is also a popular picnic/parking area in the warmer summer months for trampers or bikers riding the Tongariro River Trail which extends about 15 km north on both sides of the river up to the main road bridge at Turangi.
This is the most historic bike trail in NZ being originally built by prisoners for the fishing tourist trade back in the 1920’s.
A swing bridge provides anglers access across the river to the eastern side – aka TRB – anglers’ jargon for true-right-bank looking downriver. It is difficult to imagine how this swing bridge was wiped out in the 1958 flood. A temporary flying fox was installed for anglers to access the pools on the TRB for the next few years – see photo below.
The easy access to the middle section of the Tongariro makes it popular for many other recreational groups such as families swimming, kayakers, canoeists and rafters. There is even a glo worm grotto attraction across and upriver from the Red Hut bridge.
Tourists are fascinated by the names of the fishing pools. Some are now over 100 years old and their stories need to be told. On similar bike trails everywhere else they have information panels dredging up any local history that might be of interest. The Tongariro River pools have many great stories waiting to be told but, so far, the river managers, DOC (Department of Conservation – not to be confused with the other DoC – Department of Corrections) have advised their existing signage is considered adequate.
i.e. Who was the Admiral of Admiral’s Pool? Most anglers think it was named after Vice Admiral Hickling as they are familiar with his book, Freshwater Admiral, about fishing the Tongariro River. But they are wrong. Admiral’s Pool is named after the British Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Jellicoe, second Governor General of NZ 1920-1924. Below is Admiral Jellicoe’s photo in his official fishing gear…
But even more interesting is the story of why he was sacked from the British Navy after WW1 and posted off to the colonies… He was given the choice of NZ or Australia but selected NZ for the best trout fishing in the world… His story should be told.
So should Vice-Admiral Harold Hickling’s (photo below) of why he left the Royal Navy.
The brief video of the Middle River pools below was produced about ten years ago but they have hardly changed. Indeed, they are fishing better now than they did ten years ago.