Tongariro River Trail update:

What a beautiful fine day to go biking the Tongariro River Trail. 

Winter is a good time to ride the Tongariro River Trail.

I know you imagine I might be slightly biased so TRM have relied on the independent “tripadvisor” opinion of other riders.

Before you ask (!) Turangi’s plans to extend this trail north to link with Taupo and south to link with the Tree Trunk Gorge/Pillars of Hercules and beyond into Middle Earth are still being processed.
I know they were planning this ten years ago too but very recently we have heard some positive rumours that it will happen.
Good things take time.  Watch this space…
How can it be so good in winter I hear you ask?
Firstly, while many other bike tracks get muddy and slippery and even dangerous, the TRT is formed on pumice sub-strata which drains easily and is not slippery at all.
Secondly, most of the track is through native bush which provides good protection from chilly winter winds and rain.
Third, the quaint Creel Cafe is almost on the trail to recover with your caffeine fix.  Or alternatively there is the coffee cart near the road bridge.  OK?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2_Q6CxQ4SQ&t=9s

Wonderful trail to stretch your legs, easy walk.

Wonderful trail to stretch your legs, easy walk. We got some great views of the lake from this trail.

good bike trail

A lot of good work has gone into making this more accessible. You can either go from the trail head at the car park by the river bridge or from the trout centre, where the trail passes by. Either way it’s a nice peddle out.

Lovely ride

Started from the main road bridge and did the full loop via the Trout Centre. Good little climb to start with and you are rewarded with an awesome view. Well maintained walking/biking track and a pleasure to ride. Well worth the ride.

Crossed in parts while fly fishing the river

The parts of the trail were experienced were well maintained and offered pocket views to the river and high level hills. The river is the highlight with fast flowing areas and quiet pools, suspension bridges aid in switching sides.

a good spot for putting a drone up

the walk was recommended by the hosts at our lodge, so we decided to give it a go, the river side views are excellent and there are also some good views from the high points close to the highway.  The river and bridges were good subjects for a drone mounted camera.

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Worthwhile work has got rid of a lot of bramble

The river trail is well worth doing. It divides nicely into two walks – the bridge at SH1 to Major Jones’ bridge, and Major J’s bridge to the top (Red Hut Bridge).

It would be great if there were more views of the river itself – much of it is glimpses only, though the shorter walk nearer the town has some lovely viewpoints.

Worthwhile work appears to have been done in some parts of this walk to rid it of bramble and scrub – the parts with more native trees are lovely.

Go down where you see signs about blue duck (whio) being released and see if you can find them – we saw two or three, which was very special.

Very limited river views

We did the full trail expecting to have river views for a large part of the walk and were very disappointed. There are long stretches where you can hear the river but cannot see it as there is forest or bush in the way.

The forest walk is lovely bit there is not enough variety to sustain a 3.5 hour walk (luckily we finished quicker than that)
There is also a long stretch running parallel to the highway so all you can hear is traffic. There are definitely parts of the walk that are nice but I would not recommend the whole walk.*

( * If you ask at TRM we can direct you to alternative options of the anglers access track away from the main road – SH1 – where you will only hear the bird chorus)

Great bike trail

Rented mountain bikes from Tongariro River Rafting.  About 1,5 to 2 hours roundtrip with scenic views.  Not too challenging.

(Note TRM bikes are free for guests!)

Lovely Walk With Beautiful River Views

I have seen the signs off the main road many times on my way from Auckland to Wellington but have never stopped. We did this time and was pleasantly surprised.

The river access was good, the walk pretty with bridges etc and the views pleasant. It is very New Zealand and one day will spend some more time here discovering what it has to offer.

 

A beautiful walk in any weather

We have done the 1 hour walk and the three hour walk along this beautiful trail. It is great in any weather, but can get a bit muddy if there has been lots of rain, but still doable.  Not really suitable for strollers.