Isn’t Turangi so lucky.  Images show the new public swimming hole being excavated in our world famous trout fishing river just below the main road SH1  Tongariro River bridge.

The fresh run trout on their maiden spawning runs following this cold snap will be so understanding.  It will most likely drive them back to the lake.

At least that is what I think they are excavating?.  It is unfortunate for anglers that the most popular pool on the Tongariro River is being reshaped to provide for a kids pool.

But that is what Waikato Regional Council call “progress”.

But wait, there’s more!  Watch this space…

TRM anglers have commented again and again – have they any idea of how upset visiting anglers are?

i.e. TRM have five West Island anglers staying here this week for their annual trip.

Their two favourite pools were Hydro and Bridge Pool.

Last week they could not believe it when the Hydro was subject to another digger trundling up and down.

Then this week their Bridge Pool copped it.

They were so disgusted they had to retreat to the Turangi Tavern for the rest of the day to drown their sorrows.

We will not attempt to explain what they are trying to achieve as the Tongariro River has a mind all of its own, as every angler knows. Nature will always win.

Previous attempts to direct the flow down certain selected channels – for the main purpose of excavating the gravel and metals – have been complete failures.

Since then new staff will have been employed who probably have no idea of so many previous failures.

Anglers favourite is illustrated in the “before and after” images above on left.  The top “before” photo is SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed manages everything around TRM) inspecting the new crossing on 23 June 2006.  The “after” photo of the Tongariro’s revenge was three days later.  OK?

Similar WRC engineers “improvements” totally destroyed all the best pools in the Braids when the excavated a new canal down the true left bank but that was all in the name of ‘progress’ aka “Flood Protection”?

Then the canal burst its banks below the Braids as the river decided it preferred the old river course down the right side. It made WRC works look so foolish.

Then they built a dam at the old Bends Pool only for the river to break through and bypass De Latours loop – which used to be the most valuable brown trout nursery on the river.

It never ends.  WRC’s works are just one disaster after another.

The images on right illustrate the left bank down river where continued erosion from their works has wiped out anglers access tracks.   They have not bothered to restore any of them.

Just recently this summer the old river course between Vera’s Pool and around the back of Tongariro Lodge to the old Plank Pool has just started flowing permanently again.  It has taken several years to recover.  Now….  So sad.

Anglers have already labelled the new swimming hole as the gravel quarry pool…

Below are nostalgic images of what it used to look like back in the good ol’ days in 2016 & 2017…

Anglers wonder if we will see the “picket fence” again?