Following further requests, TRM repeats our previous blog – taken from the Advocates For The Tongariro River (AFTR) newsletter on 6 August:
Anglers reported that they had followed the instructions to drive down Te Awamate Road – off Hirangi Road – but turned back when they found a gate blocking the road. They need to open the gate and close it after them. The car park is a couple of hundred metres further down Awamate Road.
The 2015 photo below illustrates how the original De Latours loop was cut off and new pools were formed above “Downs Pool” and below the “Bends”. The contours of Smallman’s Reach and the “Parade” before the breakthrough have changed considerably since this 2015 photo and have continued to alter more every season. A more comprehensive 2023 aerial survey of the Tongariro River is added below after the AFTR blog.
New Anglers’ access on lower Tongariro River – Jock’s Reach.
Info from the Advocates newsletter:
New fishing access
ESTABLISHMENT OF JOCK’S REACH ACCESS
By Gary Brown, whose assistance was integral in helping this initiative happen.
At an Advocates committee meeting earlier this year one of our committee members Virginia Church mentioned the possibility of creating an access track from the Te Awamete road extension to the lower reaches of the Tongariro River.
Over recent years our Advocates committee have had many discussions regarding the possibility of providing better angling access to the lower reaches of the river. Many of our proposals have been thwarted by the difficulty in obtaining access across privately owned land.
Virginia’s suggestion was to provide an access track across land controlled by she & her whanau .
The start of the track would be approximately 40m north of where the Te Awamate road extension (legally a paper road ) crosses Deep Creek— a Tongariro river tributary.
Following discussions with Virginia’s son Douglas it was agreed that the Church family would contract to the Advocates to create the track which involved clearing scrub and forming the track which is approximately one kilometer in length from the road to the river. At the river the track links up with an old riverside track which gives access to the nearest fishing pool which we have named Jock’s Reach in recognition of Virginia’s husband Jock-the Church family Kaumatua.
The track has now been formed & provides a 7—8 minute walk to the river, with a further 7—8 minute walk to the nearest accessible fishing water (Jock’s Reach).
We are currently looking into the possibility of providing further angling access with short tracks from the Riverside track to the river.
We have provided a sign which has now been erected at the track entrance to advise anglers and the public where to access the new track. The track crosses privately owned land courtesy of the Church family and anglers must respect this fact.
Douglas Church has also agreed to provide a metaled car park area at the track entrance which we expect will be in place in the near future.
Some of our committee members have already caught some nice fish at Jock’s Reach, although they do report having to dodge the usual snags prevalent in the lower river pools.
As an organisation, we wholeheartedly thank the Church Whanau and the other private landowners for enabling this community-minded initiative, Ngā mihi nui ki a koe.
The Advocates for the Tongariro River are a community group made up of people passionate about the river. They aim to speak out for the Tongariro River and its environs and promote ways to look after the river so that it is here for all to enjoy in the years to come.
Following is the 2023 aerial survey of the Tongariro River – thank you again to AFTR for making it available:
Aerial survey of Tongariro River by AFTR
Last year the Advocates for the Tongariro River produced an aerial video of the Tongariro River from the delta to Waikato Falls. You can view it at the bottom of the following page:
https://tongariroriver.org.nz/
For Tongariro River fishos, this is nothing short of spectacular! Make a cuppa first as you will need about 20 minutes to view it and another 10 minutes to check your favourite pools and have a longer squiz at all the pools you did not know about – like Jock’s Reach.
Many thanks to AFTR for making it available. The Advocates for the Tongariro River is a charitable organisation dedicated to preserving and enhancing the values of the Tongariro River and surrounding environment. It relies on membership fees and donations for its work. Dial up their website and have a peep at their other blogs.
Background
In April 2023 the Advocates for the Tongariro River undertook an aerial survey of the river from the delta to Waikato Falls with the aid of a chartered helicopter and professional photographer. The purpose was to assess the state of the river, particularly with respect to the spread of invasive vegetation, and also the extent of fallen trees in the aftermath of cyclone Gabrielle. We were concerned not only about the environmental impact but also the increased flood risk that these factors could pose.
Highlights
Aside from providing an excellent panorama of the beautiful world-renowned river that we all cherish, the video highlights a number of issues:
- Starting at the delta, the video shows a material number of semi-submerged trees which pose a hazard for boats trying to navigate up the river.
- Moving up to the middle reaches we can see the spread of invasive vegetation (e.g. willow, broom, buddleia) and also wilding pine, both on the edges and islands of the riverbed. This vegetation has increased significantly in recent years to the point that it will require major intervention to bring back under control.
- In the upper reaches, we can see the damage caused by cyclone Gabrielle, in particular the large number of fallen pine trees on or adjacent to the riverbed. Aside from the potential consequences if these were to be washed downriver in a major flood event, it adds weight to the importance of the control of wilding pines in this environment going forward. Notably, the native bush has withstood the cyclone comparatively well.
Action taken so far
Since analysing the video we have:
- Engaged with the Waikato Regional Council catchments management team, the Department of Conservation, and the Harbourmaster (re delta area).
- Submitted feedback on the WRC’s Annual Works Programme for the flood protection scheme (a copy of which can be found in the Key Documents section of this website).
- Agreed to assist with funding for DOC’s weed and wilding pine eradication work, and the replanting of low growing plants in the cleared areas.
Your membership subs and donations are most appreciated and will enable us to do more.