Once upon a time in fairyland, I imagined that if I lived and fished here long enough I would get to know the Tongariro River really well. Despite the warning, this assumption was completely wrong.

The day our grossly excessive offer for TRM went unconditional was at the end of February 2004 when the river flow increased to over 1400 cumecs. It changed character completely. Some people would have learned from that, but Tongariro anglers have to be incurable optimists. The river reinvented itself as a new challenge to learn all over again. Then after another decade or so I imagined I would know it intimately. It never occurred to me that the river would physically change so much and so often to frustrate and reduce my narrowing pool of fishy knowledge which was subject to major reviews far more often than I realised.

Just to prove how determined it was to change, the next review date was only two years later in June 2006, so I started again. Then on and on every few years. There was no pattern or consistency. In 2011 it flooded twice, then again in 2012, and again in 2013 when it broke through to bypass De Latours Pool – see below.

Apparently, similar erratic river behaviour is normal in nature. SWMBO will concur I am a slow learner.

So the August 2022 flood was probably overdue as just another review date. Prior to that was a 700 cumec flood in January 2018. The lesson is that to be successful on the Tongariro anglers have to ignore past success and learn to read new water and look for constant little changes. Do not assume that the spot where the “PB” was landed last season is still the same. In August 2022, it all changed. Productive pools and holding water move up and down to come and go. To be successful, anglers have to be flexible to alter their mindset too.

The Tongariro River above Turangi is a conveyer belt shifting aquatic sand dunes with every flood carting thousands of tons of sediment and pumice washed down by the flood. Below Turangi the flow slows and widens to provide the dumping ground which formed the delta.

After the recent 600+ cumec flood anglers had to wait over a week for the Tongariro flow to reduce to near normal levels and for visibility to clear before any changes could be identified without having to wade many km. I tried to survey it all in a more remote sedate style, from my lofty bike seat.

Our main source of information for fishy reports on changes were from soggy anglers returning disheartened after trying to cross over or wade across the same current as previously. Their soaking wet condition confirms that so many parts of the river have altered. TRM has several “wader drying” cupboards but they still take a day to dry out completely. The fast version in the commecial laundry drier is not recommended due to “shrinkage” issues.

TRM has been fully booked out for the last week – we apologise to the many who were turned away. Three units are full of West Islanders. They are easy to spot as when you ask if they are moving up or down a pool, they all reply with the same greeting – “Gidday Mate”…

SWMBO pleads to all inmates to be more careful, not assume anything, polaroid sunglasses are compulsory, and always use a strong wading pole attached by a lanyard and fish with a buddy – preferably someone taller and stronger just in case…

The lap around the swing bridges did not reveal any major changes. It is difficult to provide “before and after” photos to indicate changes. A typical example easily seen is the big surge wave below Waddells Pool that can be seen from the Red Hut bridge – see photo below.

I remember the previous shape as it once flipped me out of my water-strider. I warned another canoeist to look out for it and that it would be wise to ferry his inflatable canoe around it. Unfortunately he was onto it before he could detour and was flipped out as well. The view below confirmed the pressure wave has now become more like another rapid and should be easier.

Another noticeable change was at Never Fail Pool. The sidestream crossing appears to now be much faster and more difficult.

The ladder access is useless (originally pinched from the kids slide at TRM) and the gravel shelf extending below the island has changed completely.

In all these riffles the gravel contours are still settling and will continue to slowly change. So just be careful out there. After the last week of balmy spring conditions, more rain is due which will make it more difficult to see through the water flow to identify more changes.