River Works

There is no evidence of work having started from where the previous willow clearance had finished.

There was one lone angler fishing the tail of the Log Pool.

The issue of the river from the State Highway 1 bridge to the Delta.

Graeme Smart, NIWA Scientist, has written a number of studies on the Tongariro River and the problem of the Delta.  This report is published  by Tsinghua University Press, Beijing. The latest report, was  “commissoned by the Grace Family of Ngati Turangitukua and Ngati Hikaairo and the iwi of Ngati Tuwharetoa funded the project.”, The report is titled Pre-empting flood avulsion and 2D modelling.

The summary concludes that “if left to its own devices the Tongariro River is likely to change course in a flood and form a new mouth at the exit of the Tokaanu tailrace.

To try to improve  on the present flooding situation and avoid adverse effects of unpredictable future avulsion the following options were suggested:

• Dredging of the main mouth into Lake Taupo
• Cutting a channel from near Downs pool towards the Tokaanu tailrace
• Forming a channel to cut off the most downstream meander bend
• Digging a channel from the closest meander to Lake Taupo into Lake Taupo”

Pros and cons of these actions, “the results of simulating the proposed modifications are shown in Table 1

A final more natural option  could possibly be by vegetation control.

My summary is a summary and lacks the full explanation.

Genesis Energy  want to bring Graeme Smart to Turangi to speak on the issues of the Delta.

Fishing Report

There are a few anglers around. This angler had the Bridge Pool to himself on the two occasions I crossed the Bridge today.

The Blue Duck

I am unaware of further reports about Blue Ducks in the last week. In my report last week I reported on the Genesis fund supporting Blue Duck restoration. A reader wrote to me to say that the local Blue Duck Initiative was having a greater effect through the control of stoats, weasels and rats. The traps certainly work and I have seen evidence of their success. I certainly applaud the effots of the Trust and have done so in previous updates. Likewise Josie from Graces Road set traps in the area below the bridge without fanfare.

While I have not yet been able to get a photo of this season’s Blue Duck family, the  California Quail are around again making their presence known.

Tongariro at Turangi – River-flow for the month

Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge

Date: November 26. This is NZ’s largest cycling event with over 10,000 riders participating.

Moving across State Highway 1 is not easy in Turangi on Saturday 26th November..

It’s also Election Day.

A very busy day in Turangi.

Eric Wilson

Secretary/Treasurer