Map of new access (red dashed line).

Fish & Game staff are excited to announce the reopening of the Stone Jug Road access to the lower Whakapapa River. 

After a decade of closure Stone Jug Road will reopen for the 2019-20 season. 

The river was closed over a decade ago when the property at the end of Stone Jug Road was sold and the title included the riverbed.

The new walking access will allow anglers to park at the end of Stone Jug Road and follow the track down the hill and across the paddock (downriver) that was previously closed. 

Anglers can also continue fishing upstream from Te Rena Road (Kakahi Landing). 

The new access opens the lower 3 km of the Whakapapa River to anglers.

Adam Daniels, Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game Officer.

This was brought to TRM’s attention as TRM angler inmates have been using Stone Jug Road access to the Whakapapa River for yonks – since 2011? As indicated by the photos, it was closed off by the owner many years ago but F&G and the Regional Council had renegotiated access. Below are some old images to show the recent history. This was a very important precedent for anglers access to other rivers, such as where owners are reluctant to allow anglers legal access – such as the upper Tongariro above the Fence Pool…

Confused? Several local anglers commented that they wish DOC (Department of Conservation are the mangers of the Taupo Fishery) were as active as F&G to negotiate with the Tongariro River land owners. The land in the upper Tongariro – from below the Poutu Dam to the Fence Pool, the winter limit – was previously Crown land, also “DOC” as in “Department of Corrections” or Justice Department, as part of the larger Prison farm now being converted to forestry . It was returned to local Maori as part of the treaty settlement. The Rangipo prison up there is now closed so there are no security issues which could prevent angler access to fantastic scenery and pools such as those below…