Diary

Friday, 5.03.04
Arrived at the North Egmont Visitor Centre and met Julia and Flo, a very lovely couple from the very south of Germany. Had a great time talking to them and sharing experiences while having a couple of beers and some good self rolled cigis.
Flo had actually just done the Mt. Taranaki summit tour. Hearing this, seeing the pics on his digi-cam and reassuring myself at the Visitors Centre's weather forecast board that tomorrow will be alright I changed plans and intended to do the summit tour instead of the Pouakai Track.

Got rather late with all the talking and socializing ;o) but nice enough the North Egmont Visitor Centre had an open room with a carpet to sleep in .

Saturday, 6.03.04
The clouds are beneath us and the sun is rising. What a sight. Where's the nice girl to hug and kiss when the moment is just so perfect for it? Nothing to do about that. Said goodbye to Julia and Flo and headed for the summit track to the peak of Mt Taranaki. Took me about an hour to get to Tahurangi Lodge. Already pretty steep the way up to the lodge but it came far worse. Getting up these never-ending stairs behind the lodge was tiring and very exhausting but nothing compared to what came after that. A long, long way of going very steeply up the mountain on very loose and light lava stone combined with wind that knocked me over sometimes. This was just hell for me. Thought about turning back at one point because the wind was worrying me. But then I saw others going up there with trainers and on all fours. With my hiking boots and sticks it would have been rather bad for my ego to give up now. So on I went. After about 2 hours on the slippy stuff I reached the shoulder of the mountain where the walk went along a ridge on rocky surface. Better than the scrambling, but not less exhausting to be climbing now. I put the sticks away to be able to use both hands because the path sometimes went up straight for 2 meters with only some cracks to put the top of your foot in. Glad to be having the Himalaya from Meindl with the solid sole. Looking back, or rather down always gave me a good dose of adrenaline because I was way above the clouds with very long ways down to fall. After more than an hour I reached the “tricky” bit people have been talking about. A narrow slope with ice on it. But not too bad. Although I went parts of it on all fours.

And then I finally reached the summit crater. The wind was fierce and the temperatures low. After having a snack break behind a rock I went on the top of the crater ridge and the true summit of Mt Taranaki.
The height was breathtaking and so was the view, although the weather was very cloudy down there. After half an hour or so I went on my way down again which was a lot easier than I expected and also considerably faster than going up, until I reached the slippery part again with all the gravel. Three times I slipped and went on a rapid descent for 10-12 meters before I could stop myself again. During the last one I lost my beloved hat. Farewell my dear. Other results from those wild rides were several minor scratches at my hands and two holes in my favourite Fjällräven trousers. Clouds were closing in so I only took short breaks and headed towards the North Egmont Visitor Centre the shortest way.

All in all I am very tired and sore now. This mountain. really pushed me over any limits. But I'm glad to have managed it and I'm also glad that nothing happened to me, because every year there are people dying on Mt Taranaki. Anyways… that was enough mountaineering and adrenaline for a couple of days for me.
Hit the road until Stratford where I camped at the Holiday park (good and cheep!) and had a good wash and a nice self-made meal with a nice bottle of chilled beer afterwards.