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Published: January 29th 2010
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Mt Taranaki from Egmont
View from the visitor centre Having consumed a good breakfast, and said goodbye to my hosts, I worked out that I had 7 hours for my trip to the nearby Mount Taranaki, before it was time to drive up to Hamilton. Aiming for the Egmont visitor centre, and checking inside for tips, maps and weather information, left me just 6 hours on the mountain.
The first part of the track up Mount Taranaki is a fairly gentle gradient, and is wide enough to drive a 4WD up. Trees and bushes offer some shelter, and it’s hard to stop taking photos of the peak as you get closer. After about an hour, the gradient gets significantly steeper, and this section has been named “the puffer” for reasons that become obvious after 10 minutes or so. The trees and bushes have gone now, but great overhanging lava flows are visible on the mountain side. Above the light clouds, a transmitter mast is reached together with a mountain refuge, and this is where the serious climb starts. When I say serious, I am talking as someone out for a gentle stroll. From now on, the path is no longer visible as the way up is over loose scree
Long way down
On the scree slopes, I was above the cloud, and a long way from Egmont slopes. It’s a question of selecting a route up a gulley, and accepting that progress is two steps forward and one back. The summit can’t be seen from here but the views of the land and clouds below are impressive. Progress is slow, partly because of the gradient, but also because of the need to keep checking where you are going. Looking at my watch, I could see I’d nearly been going up for 3 hours, so it would soon be time to turn back, and although I wouldn’t reach the summit, I set the goal of reaching the snow line. Scrambling up the scree on all fours allowed me to touch the snow (I know that sounds odd to anyone in Europe at present who has touched more snow than they need to over the past month), before turning back. The clouds started swirling down as I turned, so the timing was ideal. I was down at the transmitter mast and easy track by the time the upper half of the mountain was enveloped, so for me, it was an easy descent.
I took a different path back, taking a narrow and deserted track through some native bush
Half way up the mountain
..and time to rest and drink lots of water that crossed valleys and a variety of thick vegetation along the way. You could get the feeling you’d taken a wrong turn because of the complete absence of other walkers, then you’d come across a wooden ladder, placed on the track to help you up or down an especially steep section, and you’d know you were still going in the right direction.
After 6 hours on Mount Taranaki, I was back at the car park, with an empty water bottle, and a closed visitor centre. There was a need to find a cafe for some thirst quenching drink, then a 3 hour drive through steep hilly country to get to Hamilton for the next overnight stop.
Today has been a great day - starting off for breakfast with Jan and Maurice, walking a fair way up what must be one of the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen, having great weather all day, and surviving a challenging trek.
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