For years I thought the track down to Kamahi Pool had the best bird life on the Tongariro River Trail. Then as the bird chorus disappeared over the years I began to believe all the stories about 1080… You understand it was nothing to do with me losing my hearing… Now I think we have found the culprit…

Guided by Juno we were intending to spot some BIG browns that are supposed to be lurking along the TRB of the Admirals Pool. We did not spot any. But another beast provided far more entertainment. Juno chased this wild cat up a tree. After I shook it loose a savage brawl started but the cat proved how vicious these feral animals can be. The cat won.

The cat looked fat and well fed on a summer diet of ground-nesting Blue Ducks. DOC or the team who monitor the blue duck population along the Tongariro should set a cat trap asap. We found it on the side track leading to Admirals Pool.

You never know what you might find upriver. Juno was convinced the cat or something equally smelly had been living in this fern tepee. I wondered if it might have been a new emergency housing scheme… Or perhaps it is a kids’ holiday project.

The Tongariro River environment around Turangi changes character during the holidays with anglers in the minority. Bikers of all ages are the most predominant species.

The Breakfast Pool was crowded with swimmers and sunbathers and a new rafting company practising their survival skills down the riffles on a variety of rafts.