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Year: 2012

Hiking the high circuit around Mt Taranaki

Around Mt Taranaki or Mt Egmond there are many trails. One trail is the round the mountain high circuit that in 4 days takes you around this cone shaped volcano. In the summer the snow melts enough to make it a fairly easy but of course strenuous hike to the top. Now it is still spring and the summit is snow capped and climbing it requires winter equipment and appropriate experience. The snow makes the mountain more photogenic but it would have been nice to be able to climb it.

The first day was an easy hike from the visitor center in North Egmont to Holly Hut. It took us less than 3 hours and we had lots of time to enjoy the evening sun on the terrace. The huts are fairly basic with bunk beds, tables, benches for cooking and a fire place. Water is available and there are pit toilets. There were 5 of us for the 32 beds in Holly hut so not very crowded. It got a little cold at night but otherwise comfortable.

Day two was cloudy and a very light drizzle was in the air in the morning. The trail was mostly in the forest so it was not too bad that the weather was not very good. This day was probably the most adventurous of the four. We had to cross a number of streams, climb ladders and muddy, slippery slopes. The streams were more or less easy to cross. We did not get wet but occasionally had to search for the best spot to cross. It was quite strenuous with a big backpack to jump rocks and climb slopes but also made it a bit interesting. As we were taking a lunch break in the Kahui Hut the sun came out and we ended up staying an extra hour to just enjoy the weather before heading into the forest again. We made it to the next hut by 16.30. After a little while it started to rain heavily but we were already inside in front of the fire. Good timing. There were others that were not as lucky. When it was almost dark two women arrived at the hut. They had been walking for almost 9 hours, the last two at least in pouring rain. They had no chance to dry their clothes until it was time to leave again next morning.

As we looked out of the windows the third day we saw that the hut actually had a great view of the summit. Something we had not seen in the bad weather the day before. Just a few minutes from the hut there was a long ladder that we had to climb down to reach a stream. It had a bit too much water and it was not obvious where to cross it. Andy was able to jump from rock to rock to the other side but I realized I would not have made it the same way he did. I decided to take my shoes off and walk through it. The water was freezing but I stayed dry which was the main thing. After that the trail took us up above the tree line. The weather was prefect with a blue sky and the views spectacular. We could even see all the way to the south island. The plan was that this was going to be a short day with only about 8 km hiking. The hut we were supposed to go to, Dive Lake hut, was situated next to a small lake in the forest. But since the weather was so good and we were already on higher altitude we decided to continue to the next hut, Waingongoro hut. It took us totally about 7 hours of hiking to reach the next hut. About one hour before we reached the hut we passed by another visitor center and café where we got a well deserved soda and scones.

The last part back to the car did not take more than about 3 hours. The weather was generally fine with some clouds and occasionally strong winds. This side of the mountain is more popular and has a lot more trails. Many do day hikes or overnight hikes. This means that the trails are also more looked after and easier. Partly we were even walking on service roads. When we came back to the car we cleaned up a little and went for coffee in the visitor center. At this point we were quite tired after hiking 55 km in four days, 19 hours hiking time. We were longing for a shower and dinner at a restaurant.

Click on the image to view more photos from the hike

Mt Taranaki – New Zealand

And for the stat nerds:

Gardens and tea

On our way to Raglan, the little hippie surf town on the west coast, we passed Hamilton. We had not planned to do anything there but as we drove through I saw Hamilton Gardens on the side of the road. It looked like a nice place so I decided to research it a bit. We were going to pass Hamilton again coming back from the coast so we still had a chance to spend some time there.

I googled “what to do in Hamilton” and the Gardens was the first thing on the list. Supposedly the most visited attraction in the area featuring parts inspired from different places in the world. Further down on the list I found Zealong, the only tea estate in New Zealand. As it happens they have a restaurant that offers High Tea. Perfect!

In the morning we arrived at the Hamilton Gardens which surprisingly enough are free considering the work they have done. Most things here in New Zealand are expensive including some of the hikes unfortunately. At the visitor center we picked up a map and the lady at the desk pointed out the most interesting parts. It is a huge garden so it is not likely you would go through the whole thing unless you bring a picnic and spend the entire day there. There are many lawns perfect for picnics so go for it!

We started off in the theme gardens and walked through the Chinese, Japanese, English, modern American, Italian and Maori gardens. They are all lovely and very well done and kept. Further on there was a kitchen garden and a herb garden. After all this it was time for a coffee break. The café was under renovation but they had put a coffee trailer next to it in the mean time.

Japanese garden

Chinese garden

Indian garden

Italian garden

Maori garden

After the break we had energy to keep on going to the rose garden, rhododendron lawn and the green houses. In the green house they had a cactus garden which reminded us very much of Arizona. 🙂 The way back to the parking lot went over the small lake in the center of the gardens where the ducklings were swimming along.

Rose garden

With tired legs after hours of walking we were looking forward to high tea. The Zealong Tea Estate was on the other side of town which was a 20 or so minute drive. As we came closer we saw the long lines of tea plants on the rolling hills and pickers in between them. There was maybe 15 pickers out on the fields working and they moved closer to the restaurant as we were enjoying our high tea. The chinese owner happened to sit at the table next to us and we over heard them discussing the efforts of exporting their tea to China. Obviously they are serious and should be, the tea was excellent.

Zealong Tea Estate

Click the image to see more photos from Hamilton:

Tauranga – Hamilton

Coromandel

Coromandel is a peninsula just east of Auckland. In the center of the peninsula there is a mountain range that has a few nice trails. We spent one day hiking the Pinnacle which was a very nice trail. The last part up to the top included some climbing which always makes us happy. The views were also excellent.

Otherwise Coromandel is mostly known for its wonderful beaches including Hot water beach. Hot water beach is named after the thermal water surfacing at the beach. At low tide you simply dig a hole which fills with hot water and you have made yourself you own private spa. Unfortunately we do not have pictures of this because we did not want to get the camera wet. It looks quite amusing though with lots of people sitting in holes in the sand.

The weather was not very stable when we were at Coromandel but we managed to take advantage of the good moments which you can see in the images.

Click on the image to see photos from Coromandel.

Coromandel – New Zealand

Northland

In our “new” (actually quite old but therefore fairly cheap) home, the rebuilt Nissan van we rented for our stay in New Zealand, we headed north out of Auckland. The first day we did not drive far but checked in at a campground in Orewa to settle in and find a place for everything. The campground was situated at a very pretty beach perfect for an evening stroll.

Driving along the coast we made our way up to Russell and then on to Cape Reinga. There is an abundance of nice beaches, pretty islands and green, sheep filled hills in this part of the country.

Nice farmer’s market in Matakana.

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga

At Cape Reinga we did a day hike along the coast. The trail was on grassy ridges with a view of the rugged coast line. The goal was to hike up to a lookout on one of the hills, supposedly the highest point in the area. We found the turn off but after climbing a hill we found ourselves at a locked gate. It did not say private property or anything so we decided to climb over the gate and continue. After a few hundred meters we found an old broken sign and continued along the trail only to find that it ended at a fence with no view what so ever. 🙁 The bush was so thick that is was impossible to try to find a spot with some sort of view. Disappointed we hiked back to an open area on the ridge where we cooked lunch and had a break. The rest of the hike though was lovely and definitely worth the effort.

Hiking along the coast

The day we did the hike there was a partial solar eclipse.

 

 

Auckland

Finally we arrived in New Zealand. There was a heavy rain welcoming us to this weather unpredictable country. To make us feel even more comfortable our bags arrived about 36 hours after us. Andy was only wearing shorts and being spring here it was a bit cold. We had to do some shopping to survive before we got our stuff.

View from Sky Tower in central Auckland.

We had already booked a few nights in Auckland before we were picking up our rental camper. We did some sightseeing although not so much because we were busy preparing a visa extension application and trying to transfer money from the States (which did not succeed btw due to rigorous restrictions and rules at the American bank. Once you have money at the bank it is almost impossible to use…). However a favorite restaurant was located, some views and yachts admired and parks strolled through. Auckland is a convenient and nice city. Everything is on walking distance or a short bus or ferry ride away. The outdoors seem to be important judging by amount of boats in the several harbors around town.

A yacht to die for.

Albert Park.