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April 21, 2016

Queens Birthday weekend report

The Tongariro River has enjoyed a very long association with the Royal Family.  How many rivers could boast the Queen fished here, Prince Charles fished here, and the Queen mother (as Duchess of York) fished here.  Between them they have promoted the Tongariro fishing for the last ninety years.  But as we have no photos of the Queen fishing we have delved into our files for historic photos of the connection.

Special Queens 90th Birthday (fishy) Edition….

Did you know the Sovereign has dominion over all dolphins in British waters.

“Rule, Britannia, Britannia rules the waves,” goes a classic British song — and this rule extends beneath the waves too. The sovereign has dominion over a variety of aquatic animals in British waters.

The Queen still technically owns all the sturgeons, whales, and dolphins in the waters around the UK, which dates back to a statute from 1324, during the reign of King Edward II, according to TIME.

According to the article: “This statute is still valid today, and sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognised as ‘fishes royal’: when they are captured within 3 miles (about 5 km) of U.K. shores or wash ashore, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown. Generally, when brought into port, a sturgeon is sold in the usual way, and the purchaser, as a gesture of loyalty, requests the honour of its being accepted by Elizabeth.”

Pip & Ross 058The law is still observed: In 2004, a Welsh fisherman was investigated by the police after catching a 10-foot sturgeon, the BBC reported at the time. The Scottish government also issued guidance on the law in 2007, writing that “the right to claim Royal Fish in Scotland allows the Scottish Government (on behalf of the Crown) to claim stranded whales which are too large to be drawn to land by a ‘wain pulled by six oxen’.”

SWMBO suggests she probably still owns the Tongariro Brown trout which originated from UK. Photos below from SWMBO’s visit in 2010.

Pip & Ross 053She has two birthdays.

When you’re the British head of state, one birthday just isn’t enough. The Queen’s official birthday is celebrated on a Saturday in June, although her actual birthday is on April 21.

“Official celebrations to mark a sovereign’s birthday have often been held on a day other than the actual birthday, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer,” according to the Royal Mint.

Pip & Ross 055Both birthdays are celebrated in suitable style, too. Her actual birthday “is marked publicly by gun salutes in central London at midday,” according to the official website of the British Monarchy. This includes “a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London. In 2006, Her Majesty celebrated her 80th Birthday in 2006 with a walkabout in the streets outside of Windsor Castle to meet well-wishers.”

Pip & Ross 057

For the Queen’s birthday – turning 90 on April 21st – SWMBO (She is a royalist you know) instructed TRM Daily report to display some images of the Queen fishing the Tongariro River but could not find any.  The only ‘royal’ photos found were of her mother as Duchess of York when she fished here in 1927 (the Duchess Pool was named in her honour) so we hope the following illustrates the Tongariro River is even famous in Royal circles…

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We also received a photo of Kowhai Flat where she camped from MC in Australia with the letter copied below..
Not surprisingly, when we googled it most of the information on the Queen or Duchess fishing the Tongariro came from a famous fishy website – TRM…  The reason she is so important to establish the reputation of the Tongariro was that every Governor General – appointed by England – from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s (from Jellicoe to Cobham – who also have lower river pools named after them) always stayed at Turangi (at Taylors Camp) and made the Tongariro world famous.
So MC’s letter is followed by rambling potpourri of references and images to illustrate the association between the Royals and the Tongariro River.  SWMBO is still waiting for them to book in…
Few rivers in the world enjoy such a noble pedigree, having been fished by so many famous “names”.(As this is the Royal Diamond Jubilee edition, we haven’t even included you…)Letter received from MC in Australia:

queen_mother_fishing
Hi Ross,  You might be interested in the 3 attached photos. One is of Kowhai Flat, one is from the Admirals Pool – note the 2-handed rod, and the last shows the Breakfast Pool.
These are all from a second hand book I picked up in Adelaide Called ‘Trout at Taupo’ by O.S. Hintz, published in 1964 although the book was first published in 1955.
The actual caption for the Breakfast Pool is ‘River of Rhapsodies – The Tongariro above the Major Jones Pool’.
Perhaps this pool was named the Breakfast Pool at a date later than the book was published.…”
kowhai-flat

TRM replied:  Hi MC,  Thanks for those images – very interesting old photos.  Yes we do have a copy of OS Hintz’s  “Trout at Taupo”  & “Fisherman’s Paradise”.  Unfortunately the “Trout at Taupo” appears to be missing from the office library but may turn up in one of the units.  It is sad that the better historic fishing books go missing regularly.  Some I have replaced several times over.  We are on a history binge this week as part of the Queen’s 60th so will run some more images today…

breakfast-pool
The Duchess Pool could be called the Royal Pool of the Tongariro due to the series of visits by Royals – named after the Duke and Duchess of York who camped and fished here in 1927, followed by the Queen Mother followed by Queen Elizabeth.
Devotedly following the early Royals are various Governors General, who tried to improve on the Royals precedent by fly fishing The Duchess.

These included Lord & Lady Bledisloe, Lord & Lady Galway, Sir Cyril Newall, Lord Cobham, etc. Prince Charles broke the regal pattern in 1981, fishing the Birch Pool.

x Local angler, Eric Wilson: “I recall that when Prince Charles visited in the 1980′s the chosen pool for him to fish was here. They put a security screen around the area which was before the time of commercial rafting and kayaking wasn’t a strong sport as it is today. Two Kayaks made their way down the river much to the annoyance of security and the kayakers had a pleasant chat with Prince Charles as they passed by. There he caught an 8lb Rainbow in the middle of summer.”

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The Queen Mother was overheard to say once that she would love to cast another line in New Zealand waters. She expressed concern that that “awful volcano” (Mt Ruapehu) would blow up and muddy the waters of the Tongariro River.  I had the privilege of having lunch with her when I was Prime Minister and visited Britain, and I was astonished that during that lunch, she could remember the most precise details of a trout-fishing trip she enjoyed in 1927 when they visited New Zealand.”
—Jenny Shipley , Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

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I often dream that just like Alice in Wonderland, I will take a pill and go down a tube, and wake up in New Zealand. How is the dear river Tongariro?”—Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

The 2000 stamp issue:  New Zealand Post is marking the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday on 4 August by issuing a set of three commemorative stamps and related collectables which will be of special interest to royal enthusiasts, or for senders to use as a piece of history on their mail.

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” This stamp issue depicts some of the experiences and special aspects of the Queen Mother’s 100 years, including visits to New Zealand. Her three visits were all renowned for being both informal and hectic, visiting numerous towns and cities in both islands, and participating in a variety of activities, ” says Wendy Riley, New Zealand Post Stamps Marketing Manager.” The series of images featuring on these stamps touches on some of the memories of the Queen Mother specifically for New Zealanders as well as some of the more traditional things associated with her life to date. ”

archives_2602_114

The image of the Queen Mother fishing at Lake Wanaka on the $1.10 stamp was taken during her 1966 visit to New Zealand. She is regarded as an expert fisher and a serious spot of fishing was included on the itineraries of her visits to New Zealand.(After posting this I discovered the stamp images did not follow…  Oh well… we tried.)

x NZ Herald  Eighty-two-year-old Arthur Scaife of Wanaka remembers vividly the day he met the Queen Mother – she was wearing pearls and thigh-length gumboots.  It was 1966 and he owned Glendhu Station, a high-country beef and sheep run near Wanaka.

archives_2185_114

The Queen Mother had come to go fishing.Mr Scaife and his family had been invited to a picnic with her.

“She was just a lovely lady,” he recalled.

“I’ve got a large photograph of her with her fishing rod in her hand, floppy old hat on, a farm-type sort of jacket and thigh gumboots.

“But on top of all that she had a pearl necklace, which would probably have been the most expensive pearl necklace in the world at the time.”

Later that day, after the Scaife family had returned home, the Queen Mother dropped by their house unexpectedly.

But not for the “comfort stop” for which the family had assiduously scrubbed the toilet.

admirals3small

She stopped by, a lady-in-waiting said, because she loved to see how people lived. She asked about the running of a high-country farm and how the mustering teams were organised.The police had given the family two minutes’ warning that she was on her way.  The Queen Mother had been told the visit to the Scaife household had been cancelled but she had said, “No, I want to go and see these people.”

Mr Scaife recalled: “Kate, my wife, said to her, ‘Ma’am, our two daughters are very keen on horses and riding,’ and she said, ‘I’ve got a daughter who’s mad on horses, too.’ And that was the Queen she was talking about.”The Queen Mother drank two rather large gin and tonics, said Mr Scaife, and loved talking. “Especially after she had her first gin and tonic, she was very relaxed.”….

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