Rivers/Streams

There are many rivers and streams in the Taupo region. These waterways are important for the Taupo fishery as they provide the spawning (breeding) grounds for trout. They are also where smelt, the main food source for trout, breed as well as a location that provides fishing opportunities for anglers.

Rivers and streams in the Taupo region are formed by either spring-fed sources or are the result of surface water run-off. In periods of average rainfall, higher production rates of trout are usually identified in surface run-off waterways. However, they can also have very high trout mortality as these waterways are extremely vulnerable to drought and flood events.

The Tongariro River, Tauranga-Taupo River and Hinemaia River are some of the most well-known rivers of the Taupo Fishery. These rivers provide an excellent fishing opportunity that is easily accessible to the general public.

Taupo's rivers and streams are important not only to anglers. For example, water in rivers are also used by -

• Recreational users for swimming, kayaking and rafting;
• General community for its aesthetic values;
• Power companies for the production of electricity; and
• Other businesses like whitewater rafting companies and fishing guides.

All these groups of people want to use the water in the river for different purposes, which can cause tensions to rise. Some groups like the rafters and kayakers want the river channel to have lots of water flowing down it, whereas other users like a power company want to divert a lot of the water out of the river channel to be used elsewhere in a hydro-scheme.

Learning to share the use of a natural resource is important so that one user does not totally dominate the resource. As New Zealand's population increases, more pressures are being placed on our natural resources. An important aspect of our lives is learning to balance the use of these resources amongst the many users.