The New Zealand Site

Our first time tramping around Mt Taranaki it was totally dry, this time it was very wet. Soggy, flooded in places, with a wild, freezing river crossing. Except for the familiar backdrop of the mountain it could have been a completely different place.

This time we stayed in the Camphouse overnight (excellent - hot showers!), tramped round to the Holly Hut, had a rest day there, and then over to Pouakai Hut and finally out to the Mangorei Rd end, where we got shuttled back to North Egmont.

Ahukawakawa Swamp and Holly Hut

We were a party of six, including my twelve year old son, and we didn’t want to do anything too gruelling, so the option of walking out to the Mangorei Rd end was great. The weather, however, went from low cloud at first to torrential rain, sunny patches and then finally snowing on our last day. The tracks had fearsomely strong streams to cross and were either underwater or ankle-deep mudpools (or both). The river in Ahukawakawa Swamp (at bottom of picture looking back towards the Holly Hut) was waist-deep, strong and numbingly cold. We crossed ok, but if it had been any deeper, we wouldn’t have been able to.

Snow on the trail

It was wild and exhilarating. The dusting of snow on the ridge made for magical scenery and the clouds parted for one sunny afternoon, just where we could look back at the mountain and off out to sea. There was even a rainbow on the mountain and the Pouakai Hut was bathed in warm, golden light. We’d had the Holly Hut pretty much to ourselves for two days and we had the Pouakai Hut to ourselves too. Evidently the weather had put people off.

Snow falling at Pouakai

The hut trembled from wind gusts during the night and we awoke to fresh snow outside and sleet covering the windows. We didn’t want to leave because it was so wild and beautiful, but we had a shuttle organised to pick us up and deliver us back to our cars at North Egmont (about 45 minutes’ drive). It was a wonderful trip - challenging, exhilarating and utterly wild.

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