TRM have recently explained how some local projects are initially being investigated and promoted using profits from sales of their book, Tongariro Skulduggery – see photo.

The first project on the Tongariro River Trail is to promote the erection of tourist information panels explaining the rich history of the names allocated for the Tongariro River Pools. Hopefully the project will attract enough funding to provide for a variety of other interesting local history information signs as well.

Some of these were named over one hundred years ago – i.e. the Admiral of Admirals Pool, Lord Jellicoe, was Governor-General of NZ over 100 years ago.

Examples of bike trail signs below are from the hugely successful Timber Trail – an inspiring 80km bike ride from the Pureora Forest to Ongarue – north of Taumaranui. These were used to promote the idea of tourist information boards to DOC and Toe-paw Council. They declined our initial invitation to assist with funding but fortunately we have not yet learnt the meaning of “no”!

A second project being investigated is to provide “stepping stones” in a few crucial places to assist access for anglers. i.e. one of these is across the Waiotaka River above the vehicle ford, about 1 km north of the Tongariro River bridge. This is more important for bikers as well who can use the stepping stones to cross the river on the back road past Korehe village, to bike from Turangi to Lake Taupo at the Yacht Club on Frethy Drive. So it will be of much more value to tourist bikers than just anglers and serve as an extension of the existing Tongariro River Trail to access Lake Taupo.

The third Tongariro River restoration project needs to remain confidential at this time. Rather than go through all the red tape BS it is in the spirit of the Nike advert – Just Do It. We cannot afford any further delays which will add to the difficulty and expenses. Once it is completed and the results can be seen, TRM will post “before and after” photos in 2022.

But to get to the point of this post – TRM need to show support for these schemes from anglers and bikers and walkers and other tourists, to convince the local Council that there is a demand and that they would be appreciated. Based on the success of such information panels on other tourist trails, you may think it is obvious, but the Tongariro River Trail managers, DOC, advised they considered their existing signage is adequate…

Normally an application to Council would include evidence of support from the local fishing club or Community Board or similar organisation. This is where we have some difficulty as Turangi is different in that about 90% of our TRM inmates and anglers and other tourist visitors, who would appreciate the information panels and value the stepping stones, live well beyond Turangi. Therefore we are trying to use social media – i.e. feedback from Facebook – to encourage your help to confirm there would be interest from regular tourist visitors.

To repeat the request – for TRM inmates and other anglers and tourist visitors and bikers to email their support for these first two projects, so that Toe-paw Council planners will accept it is not just SWMBO’s personal scheme but has wider support from more important people who matter – aka tourists.

The example of stepping stones below is from a famous English trout fishing river and clearly illustrates the enthusiastic tourist visitor interest. Can you spot SWMBO waving for your support? (She Who Must Be Obeyed is the Manager of everything at TRM.)

SWMBO has donated the large landscape feature stones and will contribute to the cost for them to be transported and installed in the Waiotaka Stream and on some other narrow bypass locations on the Tongariro River. The effect of this is to open up tourist and anger access to previously difficult to access parts of the river, to partially compensate for the lost river pools due to Council works down river.

The stones have historic origins as they were quarried from deep inside the Kaimanawas when they excavated the tunnels for the underground power station. They have been stored at TRM for fifty years waiting to find a suitable project like this – see photo below.

Even more exciting is the new appointment of a better qualified and more respected local identity to drive these projects through the labyrinth of Toe-paw Council resource consent process. DOC will possibly have something to say too. According to the Government election promises, by the time permission is granted, the Resource Consent red tape procedure previously required to add expense and delay progress will be obsolete anyway.

Once again, it will help the application significantly if tourist anglers can confirm their support to show the Council that there is a team of 5 million tourist visitors to drive this project.

Thanking you in anticipation…