Do you remember TRM’s headline in 2018 read: TRM Daily Reports have gone…
TRM started their daily blog in 2004. TRM’s first fishing report was called “Where’s Wally?” after we tried to follow an Irish angler who had booked in for two weeks on his first fishing trip down-under. He promised to give us a daily update on his fishing progress so we promised to report his success or otherwise. We thought it was a great innovation back then before Facebook arrived. We did not anticipate or reveal that his first week was mainly worshipping Guinness at an Irish pub in Taupo, so his fishing progress stories were more imaginative than usual, provided by other inmates, but that’s another story.
Since then for 20 years TRM had religiously posted a report most days – now over 6,000 reports (?) on anything of concern to tourist anglers and whatever was happening at TRM – from fishing tales to local events to quirky inmates, whatever. As other tackle shops and fishing guides started to provide more comprehensive fishing reports we left them to that and expanded TRM blogs to include inmates’ comments, usually complaints, and other associated tourist information.
Then in late 2018 the website was hacked so the reports disappeared and re-emerged in the “facebook” format which was adopted to continue the fishy theme with more regular TRM updates. After the daily pattern of the previous 14 years was broken, TRM continued to post on Facebook instead.
This provided TRM’s readers with better opportunities to respond to some of the more outrageous claims and provide feedback on any controversial contentious issues. Fishos – trout anglers on the Tongariro – have too much time to think and are never slow to let us know of problems that annoy them. We are sure TDC (Toe-Paw District Council) and DOC (Department of Conservation are the fishery managers) valued their comments over the years… Since 2018 their contributions have made for much more interesting scandalous stories, after years of my drivel.
So after passing our 20th blog anniversary, this is to thank all our readers for the huge support and kind comments and their many stories.
We had not realised how popular the blogs were until we were hacked and off the air for a few weeks.
SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed is the Manager of everything She sees at TRM) was then asked by several if/when Daily Reports will resume? One Taupo angler drove 50 km down here to call in with his subscription (a bottle of fine wine!) in 2018 to complain he did not do facebook and how he would miss the updates. We suggested in future to just click on the F (Facebook icon) on the home page. This became the pattern for the future. When TRM has something worthy of more in-depth consideration we referred to it on facebook. So, despite the hacking, it continued ever since.
We appreciated and reacted to all the positive messages asking TRM to continue, such as this typical 2018 letter of concern from another West Island inmate :
I have just read your FB comments about your website. I am really surprised that the hacking may well spell the end of the website. I truely hope that this is not the case as your website is legendary and to be completely honest is what got me through the last few years of my working life. Until a couple of weeks ago it has also been one of the first sites I visit when I wake up each morning as it always puts a smile or a smirk on my face. My “SWMBO” has noticed I am more twitchy and distracted in the mornings and when I explained she now understands.
I hope it hasn’t been hacked by some terrorist working on behalf of Taupo Council on the basis that the web site is a threat to the dominance of Taupo in the region!