With summer holidays soon starting, we checked out the Tongariro River Trail for any changes. Regular tourists and bikers and walkers and anglers might notice a lot of subtle changes. The images should below tell the story. Starting from TRM at the end of Te Aho Street there has been a considerable clearing of all the undergrowth to protect the mature native bush. This clearing work was done by DOC – Department of Corrections.

Bikers on the track outnumbered walkers who outnumbered rafters who outnumbered anglers. I teased the bike kids that they taught ABC differently these days but they retorted they had all done their ABC before they started biking. They checked the Air, Brakes, Chain. Every day we learn something new…

Parts of the track planting below the Hydro Pool have matured to form a natural tunnel. Spooky but very cool…

Recently some TRM anglers complained they could not find the rope to assist access into the bypass at the NeverFail Pool so we checked it out in case a replacement was needed. I can now confirm it is still there – not so much for getting down the bank but very useful trying to climb the bank carrying six trout. Trout were easily spotted in the tail of the bypass breaking the surface but I could not identify what they were feeding on.

Bikers will appreciate the ramps built by the local Turangi Bike Club volunteers.

I waited in anticipation, watching two rafts navigate the big rip above Red Hut Pool, after I had been tossed out of my “waterstrider raft last summer. But their skippers were much smarter than me and they made it through safely.

The views from the track are just as spectacular as ever but after over-night rain there was too much colour in the river rain to spot any trout in the Duchess Pool, although plenty were spotted in the tail of Major Jones and in the Cicada Pool patiently waiting for anglers… During the last week anglers have reported the river is full of trout, particularly in the upper reaches (beyond my biking distance).