River Walk

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Marios Gavalas

Author And Researcher

Nau mai, haere mai

I'm Marios, delivering the best of Aotearoa's nature walks to your device.

I've personally walked hundreds of New Zealand's tracks and spent months in libraries uncovering interesting information on New Zealand/Aotearoa. And you'll find a slice of that research on this page - enjoy!

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Turangi, Taupo Region

Camping near Turangi

Photos

Marios Gavalas

Deep breasted Rainbow Trout

Marios Gavalas

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Information

1 km return | 20 minutes return

Here’s where many of New Zealand’s famed trout start their lives. Well set up for kids too with an aquarium, hatchery and museum.

Walking Track

Access

Tongariro National Trout Centre is signposted 5km south of Turangi on SH1. There’s a large parking area and toilet at the Visitor Centre and museum, from where the start of the track departs.

Track

Pick up a map of the walk as there is a labyrinth of pathways and roads around the centre. Despite being prolifically signposted, it can still be hard to know which path to take.

The track passes many of the buildings and infrastructure responsible for raising trout to populate our waterways.

Numerous interpretation panels explain the many facets of trout and their place in New Zealand lore.

Fauna

Brown trout were introduced to New Zealand from the 1860s and made very successful migrants. By swimming out to sea and up other rivers, they gorged on the macroinvertebrates, aquatic insects and small native fish, reaching steroid-inspired sizes of over 10kg!

They spawned natural hatcheries and bred quickly. Today they reach weights of around 5 kg, but most anglers catch fish in the 1-2 kg range.

Rainbow trout have also successfully adapted to New Zealand conditions and still get to that gargantuan 10 kg.

Details

Feature

Value

Info

Organisation

DOC Central North Island

Central government organisation

Location

North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi

Categories

Walking
Free

Directions

To Coordinates

Coordinates

-39.0185506751533

175.808722877502

Latitude
-39.0185506751533
Longitude
175.808722877502

Feature	Value	Info
Track Length	From 500m to 1km Track Length What is the physical length of this track? From 500m to 1km	Track Length What is the physical length of this track? From 500m to 1km
Track Duration	10 to 30mins Track Duration How long does it take to walk this track on average? 10 to 30mins	Track Duration How long does it take to walk this track on average? 10 to 30mins
Track Difficulty	Easiest walk Track Difficulty Considering the track's terrain, safety, facilities - how hard is this walk to complete? Easiest walk	Track Difficulty Considering the track's terrain, safety, facilities - how hard is this walk to complete? Easiest walk
Payment Requirement	Free access/participation Payment Requirement Is there a cost for this experience or is it free? Free access/participation The experience costs no money to access or take part in. But costs apply for the museum.	Payment Requirement Is there a cost for this experience or is it free? Free access/participation The experience costs no money to access or take part in. But costs apply for the museum.
Large Vehicle Access	Large vehicle accessible Large Vehicle Access Can large vehicles such as motorhomes, housebuses and caravans gain access? Large vehicle accessible The site is accessible with large vehicles such as motorhomes and 5th wheelers.	Large Vehicle Access Can large vehicles such as motorhomes, housebuses and caravans gain access? Large vehicle accessible The site is accessible with large vehicles such as motorhomes and 5th wheelers.
DOC Track Category	Easy access short walk DOC Track Category What type of category does this walking track fall into (as defined by the NZ Department of Conservation)? Easy access short walk Easy walking for up to an hour. Track is well formed, with an even surface. Few or no steps or slopes. Suitable for people of all abilities and fitness. Stream and river crossings are bridged. Walking shoes required.	DOC Track Category What type of category does this walking track fall into (as defined by the NZ Department of Conservation)? Easy access short walk Easy walking for up to an hour. Track is well formed, with an even surface. Few or no steps or slopes. Suitable for people of all abilities and fitness. Stream and river crossings are bridged. Walking shoes required.
Disabled Access	Disabled access provided Disabled Access Does this location provide disabled access? Disabled access provided This location provides access for wheelchairs.	Disabled Access Does this location provide disabled access? Disabled access provided This location provides access for wheelchairs.
Crowd Factor	Popular Crowd Factor How crowded is this place usually? Popular This place is often popular with other travellers.	Crowd Factor How crowded is this place usually? Popular This place is often popular with other travellers.
Track Managing Organisation	DOC Managed Track Managing Organisation What type of organisation operates this walking track? DOC Managed This track is managed by the Department of Conservation. DOC is a New Zealand government organisation.	Track Managing Organisation What type of organisation operates this walking track? DOC Managed This track is managed by the Department of Conservation. DOC is a New Zealand government organisation.