Tongariro: Playing hooky with the kids

Turangi's giant trout fisherman - and the huge rainbow trout at Taupo - mark the region out as a world-renowned angler's paradise. Photo / Jim Eagles

A group of excited youngsters walked across the entrance bridge in front of us, each holding a plastic bag containing a small trout and boasting enthusiastically.

"Mine's the biggest." "No, look at mine, it's much fatter." "Look at the colours on mine." "I was the first to catch one." "I'm going to eat mine." And so on. They were obviously hooked.

The youngsters had just been to the Tongariro National Trout Centre, near Turangi, a place dedicated to promoting the great sport fish for which the Taupo region is famous.

It was easy to understand their excitement. They had also obviously enjoyed exploring the centre's displays on the importance of fresh water, the functioning of lake and river systems, trout and trout fishing and, best of all, they had caught a fish themselves and got a taste of what trout fishing is all about.

Sure, there are plenty of other things to enjoy in the Taupo region, but there's no doubt that the trout fishery is what it all revolves around.

Drive into the township of Taupo and you're greeted by a giant rainbow trout. Carry on to Turangi and there's a huge trout fisherman casting by the roadside.

Sit overlooking the lake on the deck of your unit at Oreti Village Resort sipping a morning cup of coffee - as we did - and you can almost be hypnotised by the wake patterns woven by all the boats puttering across the still waters trolling for trout. Wander along the bank of one of the rivers flowing into the lake and you can't help but admire the elegance of the fly-fishers rhythmically flicking their lines across the pools.

Trout fishing also takes centre stage at the excellent Taupo Museum and Art Gallery. The museum has a wonderful display of treasures of Ngati Tuwharetoa, you can also enjoy the serenity of the Pure New Zealand Garden of Wellbeing which won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004 - but the trout-fishing display was the highlight for me.

There's a great collection of trout-fishing equipment through the ages. But what really attracts attention is the 8.86kg rainbow trout caught by one Barney Northcroft at Waitahanui in 1945. It's unbelievably big.

To give you an idea of just how big, there's a soft toy trout of the same weight that visitors to the museum are allowed to lift, and it's very heavy. I caught a 2kg trout earlier this year and that was exciting enough. Playing a monster four times that size must have been an incredible experience.

There's trout-fishing history of a different sort on display at the famous Tongariro Lodge, on the banks of the Tongariro River, where we went for dinner one night. The food was excellent but even more impressive was the display of photos of guests, many of them familiar faces, with big smiles and even bigger trout.

Who's the most famous guest you've had? "Recently? I guess that would be Jimmy Carter." Did he catch a trout? "Oh yes."

But of all the places to learn about trout, the best, in my opinion, is still the National Trout Centre. My wife and I have visited several times - sometimes with our children, this time on our own - and always enjoyed the experience.

It's a perpetual thrill to wander down the pathway into the centre, cross the bridge over the bush-lined Waihukahuka Stream and see the magnificent fat trout basking in the pools. They may not be 8.86kg, but they're still pretty impressive.

Further down the path is the hatchery, where you can see zillions of tiny trout, starting at the shadows cast by visitors, zooming around their tanks.

A further stroll leads to the children's fishing pool, where the youngsters I met at the entrance had caught their fish. The fishing had finished by the time we got there, but a small boy, there with his parents, was having huge fun throwing fish food into the pond and watching the trout surge greedily to devour it.

Nearby is the underground viewing chamber, where you can watch the trout in the stream - made even bigger by the magnifying effect of the water - circling arrogantly round their pool.

The focal point of the displays is the River Walk Visitor Centre, which has a great trout museum with some wonderful old fishing equipment, plus an auditorium where visiting groups can learn about trout.

Until this visit I hadn't realised that the centre is run by an independent society, which works with the Department of Conservation but depends on donations, sponsorships, admission payments and voluntary work to keep the whole place running.

When we called in, the society had just launched a campaign to raise funds for the next stage of development and was displaying plans for an exciting expansion, including an aquarium.

But, administration manager Ken Kimmins explained, before this can happen it will have to raise about $2.5 million.

"Basically," he said, "we need some big sponsors ... and they're not easy to find these days."

I hope the society finds its sponsors, because it does a great job of teaching people about the value of fresh water and the joys of trout fishing, and with better resources it could do even better.

After that, if you want to see the end product in action, a pleasant path leads to the banks of the Tongariro River, where you can usually watch someone fly-fishing; on this occasion a silver-haired couple who were working their way up the river together.

They didn't catch anything while I was watching, but they were obviously enjoying themselves and communing with nature. One day, I mused, it could be some of those eager youngsters I met at the entrance to the trout centre down there on the river.

CHECKLIST

Where to stay: Oreti Village offers great accommodation and a superb restaurant.

Where to eat: Tongariro Lodge offers fine food in picturesque surroundings. If you're in Taupo, the Plateau, in Tuwharetoa St, does great food with an imaginative flair. Phone (07) 377 2425.

What to do: Visit Taupo Museum or the National Trout Centre.

Further information: Go to laketauponz.com

Jim Eagles visited Turangi as a guest of Destination Taupo.