In 2019 TRM is sixty years old.

To celebrate TRM (Tongariro River Motel) achieving sixty years in the fishy tourist business, some images below provide a photo journey of how it and Turangi have changed since 1959:

TRM in 1959 when Taupahi Road aka River Road, was the main highway. The present SH1 is now located on the rear boundary of the images connected up by Piri (previously Link) Road.
The front units (1 & 2) were the village store with owners accommodation at rear (now Unit 3). On left is Units 4 & 5 with the remainder being a caravan park. The vacant land to the right of the shop is now the house site.
The start in 1959 – back then TRM did not need a resource consent for the sign as this pre-dated Toe-paw Council. Yet they claimed we did not have existing user rights to change the sign some fifty years later.
Landscaping was rather basic in 1960.

There were no trucks to deliver pre-mixed concrete back then – everything was done on site. Note the background Manuka is where SH1 is today.
North of the Tongariro River and Herekiekie Street was Fletchers Mill – the paddock on Graces Road in the centre is now Tongariro Lodge .

Turangi CBD comprised the workshops and school bus garage and three shops opposite the original Bridge Lodge. SH1 now veers off to the left of the foreground instead of heading directly straight along Taupahi Road heading south, while the road heading left in the photo was the main road to Tokaanu.
The above photo is a small part of a larger 1955 map from the Government Printer which illustrates the extent of Turangi back then. The town did not exist at all.
The land in the foreground is now residential housing in Rangitautahunga Road.
Aerial image of the modern Turangi – SH1 in foreground, SH41 to Tokaanu on left, Tongariro River on right of photo
Original “Welcome to Turangi – The trout fishing capital of the world” sign on SH1.
Welcome to Turangi sign re-sited in 2010 on corner of SH1 and Link (now renamed Piri) Road.
New “Welcome to Turangi” sign attracted Toe-paw Council fines and outrage ordering the removal of tourists directional signage and new resource consent for being larger than the original sign…
National publicity for TRM – thank you so much to Toe-paw council.
TRM’s dog “Boof” also generates national publicity for catching trout…
Toe-paw Council re-named Link Road to Piri Road in 2013.
Motel entrances from Taupahi Road.

Aerial view looking west over Turangi towards the Tokaanu Power Station tail race and Tongariro River on right.
View looking north over Turangi towards Lake Taupo.
Thank you to everyone for sixty years of loyal support.