Sometimes we cannot help ourselves and get into trouble by trying to be helpful.

A tourist angler hired a TRM bike to ride up to the Silly Pool.  No problem.

The Silly Pool is located in a more remote location with access only from the TRB (True Right Bank looking down-river) and is a long walk (in waders) from either swing bridge.

It is usually accessed from the Red Hut Bridge which is closer for anglers parking there and heading south.

But our angler was riding up river from TRM via the Major Jones Bridge and approaching from the north.  OK so far…

But when he arrived at the Silly Pool he took the northern most steep access over the bank.

Usually those arriving from the south take the other southern most access.

The problem with the northern approach is that recent floods have eroded any base and left a severe high stone bank above the side stream leaving a 3-4 metre drop off.

Even if you were brave (or foolish?) enough to drop down you would have difficulty returning by the same route.

So after struggling but unable to locate a suitable access point our TRM angler returned most disgruntled about my directions.

(There is one – I checked! – where a tree hangs over the side stream to provide a swing.)

The southern access is much better and more obvious leading down a steep track into the shallows above the pool.  From the Tongariro River Trail at the top it looks worse than it is as there are many roots and trees to hang off on the descent.

The hardest part is often carrying three heavy trout back up…

I hope the photos illustrate the access difficulties better than my description.

As far as the fishing is concerned this is one of the more classic stable and reliable pools as the attraction for trout on their spawning runs is the small spring fed stream on the TLB above the pool.

The trout appear to hang around longer smelling the spawning odours from the side stream while deciding whether to investigate or head off further up river to spawning heaven of the Whitikau.

Understandably the steep access has always been a deterrent after walking in waders so far to get there.  But it is worth the extra effort.

What I particularly enjoy at the Silly Pool, apart from the seclusion and beauty of a classic Tongariro Pool, is the much easier wading than stumbling over boulders in most of the other up-river pools.  Also the bike ride to or from TRM is less than 15 minutes.  Compare that to walking…