More irresistible reasons, 21 to 30, to visit Turangi
Ten more reasons tourists prefer Turangi for holidays.
One of the main reasons this schedule of “50 Reasons” is being updated is to correct any changes in Turangi tourist facilities. This report is to update all tourist visitors with the temporary closure of CREEL. We promise the CREEL story will have a happy ending.
Over the last two days, TRM inmates listed 20 wonderful, enticing, irresistible reasons to visit Turangi. This is partly in response to Toepaw Council promoting Turangi as the “Gateway to the National Park”? Ruapehu Council must be laughing. For the last fifty years, the scenic attractions around Turangi have qualified as a wonderful holiday destination without being the “gateway” to anywhere else, so these updates are just to remind everyone.
Today we have ten more for you to try to resist. Don’t fight it. It is a natural emotion to want more. If all you need is relief from daily stress, to relax and feel better, or for inspiration, just book now for your next holiday visit.
The “river cure” in Turangi is renowned throughout the world.
The 1920 Creel Tackleshop moved to the location in front of Creel Lodge,Turangi style.
21 Fishing Tackle Shops – Due to the prime location closest to TRM, this has been the favourite tackle shop and breakfast-morning tea cafe for TRM inmates since Deb & Grant added the cafe to Scotty’s original tackle store. Sadly in recent months, their reputation suffered when TRM’s tourist fishos reported other management issues. So it is with great relief to see new management being installed. But this just isn’t any old management. This will be a huge improvement.
The provision of quality cafes and restaurants is critical in every tourist town. For TRM inmates, this is even more important after the Toe Paw Council declined our resource Consent application to extend with the addition of a dining cafe facility. SWMBO needs to be sure before She recommends any cafes to guests. For the last few years, far and away the best restaurant in Turangi has been the Hare & Copper. It is brilliant. They have won various awards to confirm it.
Now we are delighted to report the same top management team, Andrew & Lilli, have taken over CREEL to redevelop the cafe. A new kitchen is to be installed, and other surprises will follow. TRM inmates cannot wait for the reopening – probably in October. This will be a winner. Watch this space.
22 Wilderness trails – All the surrounding mountains have formed tramping tracks left over from the early logging or when they developed the hydro power scheme providing vehicle access tracks to power pylons. The best-known tourist trails are around the Tongariro National Park but there are many other less well-known remote tramping tracks throughout the region, particularly in the Kaimanawa National Park. The deer and pig hunters know them all. If these were in the South Island they would be promoted to tourists with the other Great Walks. In Turangi they are regarded as just another tramping track.
Two of the most popular are Umukarikari and Urchins (see photo above) tracks which provide access to numerous Kaimanawa trampers’ huts.
23 Fly fishing – This is the biggie! Trout fishing brings more tourists to Turangi all throughout the year, than any other activity. Nearly all other trout fishing rivers and lakes throughout NZ close for the winter spawning runs. The Taupo fishery remains open (except for Lake O). The Tongariro spawning runs of wild Rainbow and Brown trout are world famous.
Unlike most other trout fisheries, the Tongariro River is restricted to fly fishing only. (Only DOC can explain why. DOC – Department of Conservation manages the Taupo Fishery) A change in the regulations to allow spin fishing in the lower Tongariro Taupo River is currently being considered by DOC. The more common fishing from a boat – trolling or jigging, etc. – or bait fishing, cannot be compared. Fly fishing is something else, far more sexy and satisfying and enjoyable, closer to nature. It requires different skills too – ask any fly fisho. It is a wonderful therapy for tourists to relax and enjoy the great lake.
The Tongariro River alone is the most popular trout fly fishing river in NZ and can regularly support over 100 anglers spread over 50 pools. There are enough trout for another thousand, but they don’t know about it. Yet there are still many quiet side channels and fiesty runs and backwaters untouched. The association of the Tongariro with fly fishing cannot be overstated. It is the basic reason why we and many others live here.
TRM have been trying to open up the upper river by extending the anglers’ access tracks. The original tracks were built by prisoners about one hundred years ago. About ten years ago, they were linked up to provide bikers with the Tongariro River Trail. Now it needs to be extended further upriver to the Poutu Dam to link with the other trails to Pillars of Hercules and the DOC-managed track through to Tree Trunk Gorge. The Waikato Regional Council should request Genesis to extend it as compensation for all the lost fishing access downstream towards the delta. It would be comparable to two more Tongariro Rivers being added to the existing fifty pools.
24 Shopping A few years ago SWMBO held a competition amongst inmates to choose the best retail experience in Turangi. We would never have anticipated the result. The vast majority chose the Op Shop (located in the New World carpark behind the chemists). Why? I have no idea, but SWMBO is certain women have a far more cultured sense for identifying retail values than men, who typically chose the tackle shops.
25 Sunsets – Whilst some other tourist places may also claim to have pretty sunsets they fail to register as Turangi is located at higher altitude where the sun is bigger and the mountain air is so much fresher and cleaner resulting in brilliant sunsets that are so much more vivid. Quite unbelievable compared to the usual setting of the sun. You really have to watch one from the mouth of a Lake Taupo tributary along the eastern shoreline to appreciate the glowing glory. After living here for so long we forget to admire them but so many tourists take photos of the sunsets that we had to include them.
26 Rock jumping – On SH1 north of Turangi is one of the best and safest most popular rock jumping spots into Lake Taupo. Look out as you drive north from the Motutere motor camp around the next sharp 25 km per hour corner. The huge trophy trout – often spotted cruising in the depths – are used to it and will not attack tourists. Well, not usually anyway.
(2019 warning: Many have objected to any tourist promotion or mention of this popular “Bombs Away” spot due to the lack of safe parking and rubbish left behind by kids. But it is so well known that any list of summer attractions would be remiss not to list it. The critics should address their complaints to the council. If it was closer to Taupo the council would soon provide ample parking and signage, but this southern end of the lake has been neglected – again…)
27 Walking trails – The Tongariro River has various alternative walking track options in addition to the most popular route – the Tongariro River Trail – for the bike trail. One of the features of this region is the surface of crushed pumice. This provides for excellent drainage qualities, making these tracks accessible in all weather. As they follow the river the contours are easy and suitable for all ages. There are wide views over the Tongariro River where anglers often provide great entertainment as they cast and hook and play massive wild Rainbow and Brown trout.
Other walking tracks are in all the other cute little settlements around Lake Taupo – in particular at Pukawa, Omori, Kuratau, Motuoapa, Oruatau, Hatepe, Waitahanui, Tauranga Taupo, etc.
28 Turangi Museum – In 1970 the Turangi museum had the largest display of pre-Maori artefacts in the world, dating from about 400 AD. These were mainly unearthed during the excavation of the Tokaanu Power Station tailrace. In 1970 a total of over 250,000 tourists were reported to have visited the exhibition, but when the Ministry of Works left town at the end of the hydropower project, it was closed… We believe the Taupo Museum could not handle the competition.
The original museum was eventually demolished in 2024 and the exhibits are supposed to be stored at Taupo Museum. Go figure!
Keep asking at the council tourist information office and one day they will realise it should be re-opened in the mall.
29 Native birds – All of these scenic bush walks along the Tongariro Riverbank and elsewhere around Lake Rotopounamu and between Omori and Pukawa are very popular for the native bush supporting a wide variety of native birds.
They can only be appreciated when walking. Tuis, bellbirds, pigeons, fantails, moreporks, wax eyes, etc. are all seen chasing insects or raiding Kowhai flowers for their nectar.
The raiding parties of tuis competing with bellbirds in spring are a wonderful sight. Some, like fantails, even sneak indoors to help TRM deal with spiders and any other little insects.
Tourists love them.
30 River rafting – Turangi also has river rafting trips down the mighty Tongariro River. The most popular is the Grade 3 rafting in NZ with over 50 rapids spread over 14 km (8 miles) taking over 2 1/2 hours (4 hours base to base). Other activities include cliff jumping and river swimming. There is also a family fun trip Grade 2 for smaller kids and their fishing trip for bigger kids.
For keen anglers, a full day or overnight raft fishing trip can be arranged to other remote scenic trout fishing rivers in this region – ask at TRM for the best option.
Continued tomorrow with ten more reasons to visit Turangi.
