Hi All,

As you maybe aware, the Tongariro River has seen two significant flood events in the last month. The first  on the 9/10th of May and the second on 4/5th June. To put this in perspective, these events are first in seven years of this magnitude.  These events have seen the river change materially, expecially in the lower river.  It will take time for access tracks to be properly re-established on the true right from Graces Road both up and downstream to the Reed pool area.

At the Advocates AGM, its was decided we would initiate a follow up aerial survey of the river. We view these surveys as a valuable tool for not only assessing changes, but also as a means to help identitfy risks. We will keep you updated on this.

There was obviously accompanying winds to go with the rain. The pines next to the Mangamawhitiwhiti Stream at the Hydro Pool were impacted.

Some large trees have been moved in system, this one ended up at the side stream/island area of the Island Pool.

The view from the Graces Road carpark area upstream. The river looks to have split into four at this juncture and will be interesting to see how much is accessible once things settle down.

 

A large pine in the river that was part of the track downstream to the Reed Pool, that has been washed out.

The washed out track heading upstream towards the Reed from the much reduced beach at the end of Grace Rd access.

The true right bank absorbed some pressure further down  river at Jocks Reach. 

These below were kindly sent through by John Toogood. All of build up of material on the Island at the Island Pool. Johns valid point is that we do not need trees of this size jamming up againist the SH1 bridge!

 

Please feel free to send through photos of note, we are always looking for uptodate information.

Acknowledgement of Gary Browns’ contribution to the Advocates and the Tongariro River and its environment. The Advocates Committee took the opportunity at the AGM to acknowledge the significant contribution of previous Chair, and current committee member Gary Brown inn making Gary a Lifetime Member of the Advocates. This acknowledgement comes on the back of Garys’ strong leadership through significant issues during his tenure as Chair. As a group, we tip our collective hats to you Gary! 

Comments on the most recent flood, 4-5 June, from Chair Carl Bergstrom  :Notably, this was the second flood of over 700 cumecs in a month. According to 

Tonkin +  Taylor, a 5-year Average Recurrence Interval flood on the Tongariro Rvr is 612 cumecs, but we have now had three exceeding this level in 2.5 years! Whether 

this is just statistical variation or a symptom of climate change no one can be sure, but either way it is a reminder of the dynamic nature of this environment, and the 

importance of being as “flood ready” as possible. In particular, it highlights the importance of the preventative works that Waikato Regional Council is responsible 

for carrying out on an annual basis including vegetation management and gravel extraction where required. It is also a reminder to anglers, trampers, and others of 

how quickly benign looking water can turn into a raging torrent. In both recent cases, for example, the Waipakihi Rvr (the headwaters of the Tongariro Rvr in the 

Kaimanawas) grew from ~5 cumecs to over 340 cumecs in just a few hours. Try crossing that on your way home! 

Regards,

Sam