Above: TRM’s luxury classic taxi unloading at Taupo Airport in 2018. (The airport terminal has since been replaced)
Lately, TRM’s laundry assistant has been fortunate to enjoy several trips with inmates in TRM’s airport taxi, “BENY” – see image above. So, just as you suspected from the images, this fishing report (?) is really a sneaky “advertorial”.
Every now and then anglers need reminding of why TRM is so popular. i.e. February is already well booked and we have had to decline or defer some bookings (March is looking better for fishos) as we are struggling to fit in with anglers travel plans. So why is it soooo popular?
TRM is not the flashest most modern motel, (it is the oldest and friendliest in Turangi!) but it is set up to provide for anglers’ requirements. In SWMBO’s opinion, tourists figure well behind anglers on Her guest rating scales. That is the essential difference. Why? How? Only fishing folk appreciate all the additional features that only TRM has made available for anglers.
Following are a few of the distinctive advantages that you will just not find anywhere else. These need to be elaborated as no other motel would ever have so much invested towards improving inmates’ Tongariro trout fishing visits.
Most of these have minimal added value for tourists but anglers satisfaction is what TRM are all about. This is obvious by this motel blog prepared for the last 20 years to provide inmates with up-to-date fishy reports.
An important addition in 2023 is TRM has updated (the third edition!) the Tongariro River bucket list map (Fifty Pools to Fly Fish Before You Die). The map includes a Pools Rating Chart to help novice anglers choose to select the relative merits from the pools regarding access, difficulty, reliability, snags, wading, angler pressure, etc. The previous 2017 map illustrated below is now obsolete as most pool ratings have changed. All Tongariro anglers need to have the updated version.
Why does SWMBO target anglers? Simply, for us they are the best category of guests. They are wonderful inmates, usually mature and responsible as their passion – fly fishing – creates and influences disciples to endure a more reasonable tolerance and much more even temperaments. This spills over to how they appreciate and treat their accommodation. SWMBO has no doubts about this. (She might be wrong but She is never in doubt…)
The main attraction in this region is the mighty Tongariro River which provides such a splendid all-year wild trout fishery, they have to return again and again.
SWMBO has it all worked out. I suspect She feeds the trout as the last season has been the best this century.
To fish the Tongariro properly they have to stay far longer than common garden variety tourists.
If they intend to return then they are instinctively more sensitive about leaving their rooms tidy, dishes done, etc. which does not go unnoticed, so they earn SWMBO’s “brownie points” which often result in surprisingly generous discounted room rates when they return.
Everyone wins!
Comparatively, tourists stay usually only once for shorter periods and are only interested in the lowest room rates, but do not factor in all the other little surprises – i.e.
It starts inside the units where the first noticeable difference are little embellishments like the rod racks – seriously, are there any other motels that would bother with such trifling improvements? Anglers love it.
As they stay longer, every unit has full-size ovens and microwaves with fridge freezers in the large two-bedroom units.
Then outside are the usual DIDYMO warnings and bottles of detergent for cleaning their gear. This illustrates a tiny but very important sense of conservation responsibility to help keep the Tongariro 100% pure.
Every unit has undercover parking and free guest laundry (includes washing powder) and fish cleaning station and a commercial-sized smoke house (free dried Manuka chips) – all included in the room rates as well.
In 2023 we need to update inmates on the bikes. Sad news I’m afraid… They were provided free to use but have now been discontinued. Of course, tourists also wanted them to do a loop of the Tongariro River Trail nearby, but they were really provided and set up for anglers with rod holders and pannier bags (supplied with fish bags) to provide easier access to those Tongariro Pools that are almost too far for them to walk – Kamahi, Stag Pool, Cattle Rustlers, etc. It is usually the trip back to TRM that is more difficult when they might have to carry their day’s catch. But so many bikes were stolen or damaged over the last ten years that we gave them all away – it seemed the only way to prevent local kids from pinching them all the time.
TRM has an extensive anglers’ trout fishing library with magazines in every unit. In reception are many of the informative Fish & Game maps for North & South Islands, maps of this region to cover other less popular rivers such as Wanganui, Whakapapa, Mohaka, etc. plus the above-mentioned Bucket List map. There are even vices provided for those preferring to tie their own special flies.
In reception are many other little additional accessories available just in case, such as spare fishing gear – rods, reels, lines, waders, landing nets, flies, wading poles, hats, plus all the other accessories and fishy stuff that anglers need but often forget or lose.
SWMBO tries to provide for every contingency.
Next are more major accessories such as the specialist rafts for Lake Otamangakau.
There are three single person “water-striders” and a larger two person yellow version – see image – donated by a kind inmate, now retired (Thanks Doug), ideal for Lake O. Naturally these are not just for anyone. For fisho’s safety they have to be restricted to regular known inmates with a long solid reliable track record at TRM.
Have a peep at the short demonstration video of an inmate below as he shows how easy they are to use.
Long after when their ageing hips, knees and ankles have failed their “used-by” dates, for safely negotiating the slippery river stones on the Tongariro River, these rafts encourage them to continue trout fishing, despite limiting physical restrictions. Often their fishing results even improve.
The rafts are so important to extend their fishing lives and keep young at heart… so SWMBO invested in three water-striders to satisfy the demand. For some older anglers the rafts were the main point of difference and their main reason for staying at TRM. Also TRM has another incentive accessory – our luxury airport taxi. SWMBO insisted on it…
First the basic necessity – as there is no taxi service available in Turangi. Many overseas anglers fly into Taupo and need transport to Turangi. It is too difficult and expensive to get a bus to Taupo and then another bus or taxi to Turangi. So TRM provides an exclusive pick-up and return service to Taupo Airport with some added style…
Also there is the image of luxury which enhances TRM’s star rating – not that anglers care…? This might be a bit of a myth as the taxi is over 30 years old, but that just adds a bit of distinctive style. TRM is over 60 years old so the motel taxi appears quite modern. So if you plan to arrive at Taupo airport then remember there is only one motel in the region that can provide their own airport taxi service.
Last and most important – it allows me to escape the laundry.
And we have not even mentioned the fishing…
Last, but not least, is our wonderful entertaining “mockumentary” of Turangi – TONGARIRO Skulduggery, available in every unit for inmates’ wet days reading pleasure. The only motel in NZ with its own book to elaborate more on what you always wanted to know about the unofficial history of Turangi.
