The upper pools of the Tongariro River.
Scoring System
The seven categories were scored as follows:
| Category | Description | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Access | 3 indicates good car and foot access; 0 indicates poor access. | 3 |
| Difficulty | Reported difficulties getting the fly to the fish or finding the lie. | 2 |
| Setting | Scored for natural beauty and pure enjoyment. | 3 |
| Reliability | Indicates reliability as a top producing pool all year round. | 9 |
| Snags | No likelihood of snags scores 1; if known for snag(s) score 0. | 1 |
| Wading | If waders are not needed, score 1; if difficult to wade then 0. | 1 |
| Pressure | If a pool is too popular and regularly crowded, score 0. | 1 |
| Total | The closer to 20, the better overall rating the pool received. | 20 |
| Pool | Access | Difficulty | Setting | Reliability | Snags | Wading | Pressure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marks out of | (3) | (2) | (3) | (9) | (1) | (1) | (1) | (20) |
| Upper River Pools | ||||||||
| Fence | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Sand | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Ledge | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Blue | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Boulder | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Big Bend | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Fan | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Cliff | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Boulder Reach | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Poutu | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Waddells | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |