After rereading TRM’s posts and responses on how continued aggradation is destroying the lower river environment, it was time to update our library photos in preparation for the inevitable complaints. We can be confident that any TRM controversial posts receive plenty of criticism. That is so good.
Usually they are intelligent suggestions and corrections plus the usual abuse. That is what Facebook was designed for. We understand fly fishers are very passionate about the lower Tongariro River pools and enthusiastically correct any mistakes or misimpressions whenever they identify errors. We thank them for that.
Meanwhile, back to the lower Tongariro access issues. Juno led me downriver past Jones Pool to assess any changes that would justify the anglers’ requests for an independent review.
After a cold frost, it warmed into a beautiful sunny Autumn day to explore and report to those who only get down here perhaps once or twice each season. We plodded about 5-6 km from TRM – an hour each way with a half hour exploring.
In summary the choice of access to wade the lower river pools has been further restricted. The spawning runs still have to get through but only about half the previous runs can be reached. The erosion along the innaccessible TLB (True Left Bank) has increased.
The waning popularity of the lower river was evident by the lack of cars in the Braids carpark.
The first overdue priority was to mention anglers’ appreciation for all the walking trails and landscaping planting that keeps expanding downriver. These cute border gardens and bushwalks in “no-mans land” have been developed by anon volunteers from residents’ working bees over the last few years. They should take a bow. TRM’s gardening guru was so impressed that a couple of seats – retired ski lift chairs – were donated.
The photos do not do justice as their impressive efforts add so much pleasure to the walk along the river from the end of Herekiekie Street, behind Tongariro Lodge, and beyond the Braids carpark. Hopefully their landscaping ideas are infectious and others will learn and be inspired to do their own thing on other riverside trails.
There were three anglers wading below the bridge pool and one was seen crossing over the bypass to get to Vera’s pool. None were seen in the lower river. You can read into that whatever you like. Sometimes TRM posts earn abuse for revealing where the anglers are, but today there were not any to spy on, a pity on such a beautiful fine day.
Above Reeds and Jones Pools it is difficult to accurately identify most of the previous famous pools, such as Log Pool, Duff’s Pool, Bain Pool, Swirl Pool, and Plank Pool, so these need to be deleted from any future reprints of the TRM’s Bucket List map – “Fifty Pools to Fly Fish Before You Die”. Some new spots will need to grow new names. This map that serves as TRM’s brochure indicates how long our inmates have been aware of the deterioration of the habitat in the lower river.
On the map all pools were marked out of 20 for access, difficulty, setting, reliability, snags, wading, angler pressure. This was an ambitious call, so we previously arranged for a fishing guide to provide the marking. However, anglers may have noticed that with the last two reprints of the map the lower river pools were excluded from the pools rating chart.
The reason was made clear with the comment over seven years ago on the map below – 2019 version: “All pools downstream of the SH1 road bridge are subject to change after floods and WRC (Waikato Regional Council) activities.” As such, they were unreliable and changeable and too difficult to assess, so they were not marked at all.
The previous posts, repeating anglers’ concerns about the deteriorating state of the lower river pools’ access, etc., generated heaps of traffic, which confirmed the depth of feeling about this aggradation issue.
Regardless of anglers’ preferences, after 50+ years, the approval should have been conditional upon Genesis and the other responsible authorities commissioning an independent experts’ review of the situation and reporting back to their licence holders.
As mentioned above, TRM have suggested that a compromise solution could be to replace the losses of fishing opportunities downstream with the development of new bike access on both sides above the existing limits, up to the Poutu Intake. The support for this concept has been amazing and confirms it is overdue.
If they refuse then you can probably assume they most likely have something to hide.
There is also a matter of conflict over how much of the erosion is due to the higher Lake Taupo levels maintained to ensure adequate flows to keep all the electric cars fed up north. As some responses have suggested this, TRM’s blog tomorrow will provide evidence of the massive erosion suffered around the lake.