Almost every new guest’s first question on arrival lately is “What’s happened – has it sold?”  When the nature of TRM’s tourist traffic is analysed, this is quite understandable.  We will try to explain…

You might want to make a cuppa first, as this could take a little more explanation than just another fishy story.

TRM has developed an unusual business model, not just by chance, specifically aimed at accommodating a far superior class of motel traffic.  Some may question why they are called inmates.  In business terms, we think it’s plain common sense.  SWMBO loves them. (She Who Must Be Obeyed manages everything at TRM, except the fishing.)  Instead of the usual brief overnight-guest motel pattern, they have to stay much longer to tame the Tongariro River.  As they want to return again and again, they respect the accommodation far more than casual overnight visitors do.

So that is the special market that TRM prefers to cater for and tries to spoil them with freebies – a range of boys’ toys to encourage them to return.  No other motel or any other accommodation in this region offers so many toys – i.e. 3 inflatable rafts plus a dinghy, TRM’s own Bucket list map (Fifty Pools to Fish Before you Die), free Fish & Game maps for other rivers and lakes, free commercial smokehouse, free guest laundry, free for dogs, free fishing gear, free fishing books library (many donated) including the famous Tongariro Skulduggery, free storage for their gear until they return free waders, free rods, even free didymo prevention bottles, etc.  We are serious, but I’m sure you know all that.

Some remind us that they and their families have been visiting TRM regularly, several times each year, for over 40 years.  We inherited them with the motel.  They trained us!  Some are the third generation of TRM inmates.  That has to be a record!  Whatever unit they prefer is more like their second home or like their holiday bach.

These lucky fishos cannot be regarded as the usual casual procession of never-to-be-seen-again motel traffic.  After our brief tenure for the last 22 years, their status has changed as they have graduated from customers to friends.  Wonderful people that deserve to be kept fully advised of anything affecting their holiday accommodation.  Seems perfectly fair.  Many have already booked their usual time for 2027.  They need to know our plans.

But now that we are both in our glorious 80s, we have decided it is, regretfully, time for SWMBO to retire.  We acknowledge our obligation to keep them up to date with any changes in ownership or management via these blogs.  This is their update:

To answer the question of whether it has sold: no!  As this is my fault, you deserve an explanation.  The agent, Zane at ZRE, has introduced other interested parties, nearly all “developers”, who are only motivated by $ profit.  How surprising.  They have done their sums using only calculator arithmetic, assessing the viability of demolishing and selling the subdivided land or of building new houses.  A 4760 m2 corner block with high visibility to SH1 and Taupahi Road will always be in huge demand.

But we older romantics imagine it has more sentimental value in continuing the 65-year-old history of providing accommodation for fishy inmates.  Pass the tissues please…

For historical and personal reasons, TRM’s response to prospective buyers has revealed a strange ethical code of conduct aimed solely at attracting other trout fishos.  Why?  For any trout angler, this location is as close to Paradise as we are ever likely to achieve.  Also, we hope you will appreciate that SWMBO feels a personal moral obligation to our long-term loyal inmates to keep the dream alive, if at all possible.

It is all about our chosen lifestyle, providing something more satisfying to the soul, over and above just monetary $ stuff.  We never ever bought it anticipating huge $ profits.  It was all about enjoying our last 20+ years.  To non-believers, it might appear fanciful, but having survived it, we know it has provided the best retirement lifestyle that a trout angler could ever hope for.  Although this narrows down the potential market considerably, we think it is worth pursuing.

I hope the aerial photos convey the location’s sheer beauty and charm.  It is far better than we ever dreamed of when we decided to “retire” here.  It took a while to convince Her, but now She appreciates that the advantages of the small-town retirement lifestyle cannot be beaten.

We have been delighted that so many returning fishos have indicated interest, but they have also communicated the restrictions imposed by grandchildren or other family circumstances.  They tell us they would love to retire to the Tongariro etc. but her indoors… you can guess the rest.  So this is where I need to correct the most common misapprehension.

To imagine the perfect hypothetical new owners’ circumstances, we guess they will probably be recently retired and looking forward to a boring existence waiting for God, (?) except for the occasional brief escape to the Tongariro for R & R. We understand so well.  We were in that position for years.  Any attempt at hoping to enjoy the remaining years of good health and happiness is frustrated by the holy concept of family loyalty.  Any keen responsible angler owes it to his family to respect their wishes first.  Her one priority is to stay close to family.  After he has lost contact with all his work colleagues, that is the only social life left.  TRM’s solution offers a better option.

But this is also an important warning about the most misunderstood aspect of sneaking off to our trout wonderland to escape all family pressures.  They will follow you!  When they discover you have a motel in a holiday resort town with so many large family units, they will hound you.  It is a trap – mothers love it.

The photo above shows this phenomenon, taken at Christmas 2019.  (Those silly red hats are not Trump supporters.)  That is most of SWMBO’s family.  It was amazing how many there were when motel accommodation was offered in a resort location halfway to everywhere.  They flocked in from all over NZ and even America and West Island to celebrate their family bonding.

(It was so thrilling that, for my 75th birthday treat, I took off on a biking circuit I’d booked a year before, up around the East Cape.  It took so long because I was so slow – it took about ten days – that by the time I returned, they had all gone.  I have learnt my lesson.  I am still in disgrace.)

The second warning concerns the emotional toll on people who live in this Tongariro environment for too long.  This might sound a bit weird, but prospective buyers need to be aware of it.  A subtle shift in life’s priorities sneaks in.  That is an inevitable result of completely relaxing and enjoying the good life on the Tongariro.  It will happen.  Don’t try to prevent it.  It is wonderful. 

It is not just a relief reaction to celebrate that you had enough sense to escape the daily survival course of traffic snarl-ups and hopeless congestion.  The hard-to-explain (words fail me) things that really matter take over from all the crap people thought was important in the cities. You really can hear native birds and taste pure fresh water and clean air again.  You will have more time for friends.  I mean genuine friends.  I had better stop this emotional warning before someone takes it personally, but at least I can relax, knowing you have been warned.  But when you are buying a precious lifestyle like this, it needs to be recognised and assessed as an extra element of added value.

I don’t know any way to assess such an enjoyable lifestyle.  Perhaps only the superior breed of trout anglers understand what I am trying to relate to.  This isn’t a crazy scheme to maximise the price, which would be only normal accepted practice in Auckland.  It is to head off the developers by pricing sensibly below the usual Council Rateable value benchmark of $1.55 million. I just checked – the average residential property value in Auckland ranges from approximately $1.18 to $1.3 million. That makes TRM very affordable.

It has to represent good value.  For just over the price of an average Auckland house, in Turangi you can buy a 3-bedroom family home, 11 motel units, 3 garages, other ancillary buildings, and still have spare land for 10 more units.  Start packing now…

For not much more than the price of an Auckland home, you can replace your family home plus enjoy income from 11 motel units to service any borrowing and comfortably cover all outgoings.  You can direct any Government super payments to a stockbroker or travel agent, as you will not need them.  To our minds it doesn’t get much better.

There are still those big arbitrary executive decisions – not to put too fine a point on it – whereby tax became a voluntary exercise.  As with most other businesses, annual accounts were designed to minimise tax, not to maximise profits for selling.  So do not take TRM’s annual accounts as gospel.  They are just an academic IRD bookkeeping exercise to allocate expenses.  Please do not choke!  Read beyond the lines.  TRM has a solid 65-year-old trading record, having survived all the economic bumps and crises that closed many other motels over that time.  It has survived the acid test of time.  It may not be the prettiest, biggest, or flashiest, but it is still here because fishos love it.

Even if no SWMBO wants to take over, management is a breeze.  That is largely because trained, experienced, mature, enthusiastic Maori staff handle the hard physical work.  They are so important in this tourist accommodation business.  Our longest-serving office lady has been here for over 20 years. When the IRD accountants want management details, they go to her.  Nobody argues with Mother Superior.

Our only stress is the river flow.  You can really achieve the well-deserved laid-back lifestyle you’ve dreamed of.

Every medical chart confirms that ageing well comes from staying fit while staying actively involved in your favourite recreational activity.  If you want to enjoy the golden years, TRM’s fly fishing retirement plan will add satisfying years like nothing else.

I suspect some developers will imagine we are nuts to try to assess the value on compassionate lifestyle considerations, but we can forgive them.  They are not anglers.  That is what 20-odd years’ experience here has done to us.  It changed all our priorities.  We had time to discover all the little things that are so important.  I had better stop before I sound like a missionary, but we are only sorry we did not make the move much sooner.

Now, after four ankle replacements, I realise I have no choice; I have passed my use-by date and accept it has to be sold, yet I am still trying to control my enthusiasm for this lifestyle.  We are not in any forced situation to sell but realise a change is inevitable.

So, for those of you who have inquired and are still considering – we thought we could identify some propects after too many inquisitive questions – I hope that brings you more up to date. You should now realise you can easily live completely off the tourist accommodation business with ample spare land to expand on, if that is your aim.  So give it some further thought and send me any questions.  You will still need to negotiate through ZRE.  They can add the usual practical local property advice.  But remember the warnings…

Last – the final one that has not even been mentioned but you need to be aware of it.  Did I warn you about getting hooked by the dangerous addiction to fly fishing?   It is all true.  It has all been recorded so you can read about it.

 

About three months ago, the TRM post read as follows:

May 28, 2026

Selling TRM?