TRM enjoy all sorts of interesting tourists’ observations about the wacky sights locally.

We just had a tourist comment on a strange sight he noticed in the supermarket.

(Yes – Turangi does have a super market – except locals call it the “Third World”) 

He swore an elderly gentleman was walking around shopping, filling his basket, quite unconcerned, wearing chest waders? 

How extraordinary! 

Then before he could recover he saw another… 

How strange is that!

So we have to congratulate whoever they were for adding some real touristy trout fishing character to Turangi, to make it so exciting and memorable for overseas tourists. 

They were visiting here to walk the Tongariro Crossing and had no idea of the real reason everyone else stayed here. 

SWMBO explained they were probably Irish and that it is quite common here.  She offered to lend them some waders if they wanted to go shopping and blend in? 

It is interesting that whilst nobody here would usually give them a second look, tourists find such apparel fascinating. 

We assured them that waders were the same as wearing overalls in any other town – that the wearers had probably planning to go fishing and were stocking up on fuel before they went out for the evening rise. 

At TRM they are more likely to be noticed if they are not wearing waders – see image on left…. 

Who did you look at first?  OK…  That proves it.

Here are more Celtic tourists in waders with the luck of the Irish?

Paddy Walsh arrived late on Sunday – he booked as soon as the rain stopped.

As his usual guide (Willy Young) was unavailable at such short notice he hired another foreign guide who spoke the same blarney language.  To be sure, he was coached by visiting pro – on left – Irish angling legend, Johnny Davy from Belfast. 

Their Irish smiles and their results for this afternoon’s limit bag say it all. 

Which brings me to the next item that some tourist bikers were concerned about? 

Did we know, and should we report, that someone has been bulldozing along the river bank and destroying all the vegetation up at the Hydro Pool?  

How will that improve the fishing they asked? 

So we had to check it out…

Tourists curiosity about local hobbits knows no bounds. 

Their questions has already been answered by SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed manages Her own tourist mis-information centre in Turangi) even if She has no idea…

She confidently advised the clearing was to make it easier for novice anglers back casts so they will not get hooked up in the shrubbery? 

Fishing comes first in Turangi.  They understood immediately.

Of course that is all Her vivid imagination but in Her important PR managerial role She has to sound authoritatively convincing. 

Hopefully the images update the situation up at the Hydro Pool.