EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY
Pip now has seven more grandchildren… a "covey" of quail (or is it quails? We cannot decide which).
This is the first time we have been allowed to view the new family. They are very wary but TRM security patrol – Boof - is looking out for them and keeping the cats away.
As we cannot tell them apart they all have the same name – Fluffy!
(Photo taken from Manager’s desk in office reception desk looking out at the visitors car park…)
Other New Zealand Day holiday activities on the Tongariro River below…
Australian Fishing Report
Just to balance our concerns about the Tongariro River problems, consider the following email from TRM guest angler - Murray Cullen in Australia – indicates the massive damage to the fishery caused by their recent floods. Quite disastrous..
"I’m still visiting the website religiously every day, and its great to keep up with the news on Boof, the swallows, the trout, the gardens, and the flows….
No fishing locally as we have had floods, torrential rain, gales, storms etc. The local Richmond River, one of the largest on the Australian east coast has now been closed to all fishing for at least 2 months following massive fish kills. They have even banned fishing for 1km either side of the river mouth. I’ve included a photo from the local paper. The river was closed for 6 months back in 2001 following a similar event. Apart from the smell of decaying fish it will have major economic consequences on the town, with predictions of a loss in revenue of about $40 million. Commercial fishers are devastated. One tackle shop has closed and another that was up for sale has had to been withdrawn from sale because nobody was interested in buying it.
Most of the fish kills are attributed to low oxygen levels caused by rapid decay of organic matter washed into the river during the floods. Let’s hope nothing like this ever happens to the Mighty T. It also shows the potential problems that can occur from "natural disasters" – Didymo for example."
Note to Murray – My attempts to transfer the photos onto the daily report failed so we found this other image of a fine looking Tongariro angler & Australian correspondent instead…