Mt Taranaki

Mt Taranaki

Day One 5 hours 30 walking: After following Pembroke Road, one of the main access routes for Mt Taranaki we parked at The Mountain House about 850m. The first section of the Around the Mountain circuit was a bit of a killer as it involved a steep 45 minute grind up to The Plateau (the carpark for the local ski field) via the road. The first section of trail took us through the ski field and on a steady climb on some technical terrain to Tahurangi Lodge and our highest point of 1400m. Sadly the conditions deteriorated and our visibility was down to around 100m. Past the lodge and the track became a little easier. The final descent of the day into Holy Hut gave tremendous views over the Ahukawakawa Swamp.

Day two, 7 hours walking: The second day barely dawned; a thick layer of cloud had enveloped the mountain. That with the horrendous weather report forced us to take on the Pouakai Circuit instead of completing the AMC. From the Hut and across the Ahukawakawa Swamp the views from the previous day were a distant memory. On the other side of the swamp the track rose sharply through a series of stairs, something that would become the theme of the day. After around an hour and a half we reached Pouakai Hut and some foul weather. We then went through what would probably have been some great alpine surroundings and climbed up over 2200 pieces of wood to Henrys Peak at 1300m. The remainder of the day was spent descending through tree roots and across un-bridged streams to Mt Taranaki’s main information centre at 890 metres. Our last hour and a bit was spent walking up the aptly named Puffer track to the warmth of Maketawa Hut.

Day three, 2 hours 15 walking: More bad weather greeted us in the morning, vindicating our decision to cut the weekend short. The final walk back to the Mountain House was short but contained more steep climbs in and out of numerous dry riverbeds.