The crew started on Monday preparing the ground digging deep holes for foundations of the new major development at the end of Koura Street to replace the old swingbridge.

Local dog walkers suggest it is the most exciting development since the hydro power project. They were heard teasing other tourists that the earthworks are the start for a new hydro dam…

Hopefully, more honest TRM blogs will try to keep interested viewers up to date with weekly progress reports.

The first question asked was how they would move the pre-fabricated bridge structure into place. It is over 70metres long, far too heavy to airlift. We were told it will be built off-site and then transported across the Justice Department farmland on the eastern side of the river. From there it will be launched across over the river to the town side.

(This is known as “cantilevered” – a cantilever is a rigid structure that is supported only at one end, thus leaving much of its surface with no apparent point of support. Locals can hardly wait to watch the cantilever applied. The trout are terrified.)

As expected, there has been discussion on the choice of a new name. It should be easy but this is Turangi…

The 70-year-old swing bridge being replaced, has often been mistakenly referred to as the “Major Jones Bridge”. This is misleading as the Major Jones Pool is far out of sight, around the corner over 200m downriver past the end of Poto Street.

In the 1975 booklet “Pools of the Tongariro”, the authors, Allan & Barbara Cooper, referred to it as the “Birches” bridge, built in 1955. Birches Lodge is the nearest tourist accommodation.

Other more enlightened souls, aka anglers, don’t care but just hope it might be elevated a bit higher above the flood level flow. They usually refer to it as the “Koura Street” bridge. Geographically this appears a more sensible name, being located next to the Koura Street carpark.

For the last 15 years it has also named as the Koura St. bridge on TRM’s bucket list map, Fifty Pools to Fly Fish Before You Die.

So that may be about as official as it gets in Turangi.

But SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed is the Manager of TRM and anything else She chooses in Turangi) refers to it as the “New Bridge” and we dare not question Her judgement.

No doubt DOC will place their signage on the new bridge as they imagine that may decide for everyone. But lately they prefer to suck up to their treaty partners with unpronounceable Maori names?

On their last “official” public notice, warning of future construction works, DOC renamed it the “Turangi Suspension Bridge”. So typical of Turangi – anything could happen.

In the interests of avoiding any future friction from overseas tourists, TRM inmates attending Happy Hour suggested it could be called TRUMP bridge?