ITTextra Tech/Music Blog and Hiking/Fishing Information

Date	Time	Stretch	Rules	Difficulty
10th February 2023	9.00am to 2.00pm	2km	$25 per day	Easy

Tauranga Taupo River

This is the 2nd part of my series about my 2023 fly fishing trip to New Zealand's North Island. I'm fishing a river I haven't fished before, the Tauranga Taupo River, which runs into the East side of Lake Taupo.

Access and Fishing Notes

I moved from the Te Urewera region to avoid cyclone Gabrielle. The region around Taupo was not as hard hit, being sheltered a bit by the mountains to the East, so rivers were still fishable. This session was 2 days after the cyclone.

The river looked high with plenty of debris floating in the river, but still clear, with plenty of small fish active.

Day fishing tickets are $35 per day for non-residents, from New Zealand Fish and Game. They last 24 hours and can start anytime.

Directions:	Follow Route 1 along the East side of Lake Taupo to the bridge over the river. There is parking at the end of Tuki Street, close to the bridge.
Access:	Clear tracks lead from the car park to the river. Access is easy in most places.
Conditions:	Weather was cool and windy with partial cloud cover.
Technique:	I used a 5-weight fly rod and floating, tapered line. I fished exclusively dry fly with winged and parachute patterns.
Fish:	Small rainbow trout, around 15-20cm.