Day #14, Mt. Taranaki

My first full day in Opunake brought sunshine, so I decided to go for a tramp on Mt. Taranaki in the Egmont National Park. Amie and Chris were busy working so I set off on my own for some adventures.

This whole region is another oddity in that it's mostly plains or rolling hills, pastures for dairy cows, then suddenly there's a huge volcano. The pastures go right up to the beach where suddenly there's a 75-foot cliff down to the ocean. I was ready to hit the mountain today! It's amazing how the clouds hover like a little cap on top of the volcano. They cascade over it and down the flanks until it whips by you. Being surrounded by those clouds is a very cool feeling, but hold onto your hat!

Wendy's handy travel guide was left in my stead, and so I found what sounded like an awesome loop hike! *SCRMW The drive up to the mountain was otherworldly, with tall tree branches arcing over the road to form a lush green tunnel. A short drive up the mountain and I parked the campervan at the Dawson Falls Visitor Center, complete with native Maori artwork, including what we U.S. folks would call a totem pole.

The Maori believe in spirits (more on this later when Amie, Chris and I go dam diving). Do any inhabit the mountains and these forests?

NZ folks on the whole seem to have an excellent set of morals regarding conservation and preservation of their phenomenal natural resources. Plenty of signs on trails warning the tramper not to encourage the spread of didymo, which is also called "rock snot" and is a huge problem.

It's a diatom found in warm, shallow water and can spread very easily, covering the stream substrates and vegetation and thus impacting aquatic flora and fauna. Signs on the trail encourage trampers to clean off their boots to keep it from spreading. Other signs on the trail say no dogs allowed. Zoe would not be happy to hear that!


There had been a lot of rain recently so the trail had soupy spots where the wooden edged dirt "stairs" reside. The route opened up to river beds to allow for snowmelt waterways during peak flows.

A series of small pools of water near tiny waterfalls and seeps nicknamed Wilkies Pools. Although small in circumference, they are probably a few feet deep, enough for one or two people to spend time relaxing on a hot tramping day. Today the strong winds kept it chilly and so I passed on the swim.


I kept walking, crossing streams coming down the mountain, stepping gingerly from rock to slippery rock. Around the bend brought a nice view of Dawson Falls.


I was captivated by the clouds coming over the summit, check it out!


Have I mentioned I also love clouds?

It was getting very windy, definitely windier than our hike on Arthur's Pass! Onward and upward to the Stratford Plateau. Although the area was technically a parking area, it felt more like the base camp for a mountaineering expedition. I imagine when snow is on Mt. Taranaki, it's a formidable sight. By this time, the wind was reaching ridiculous speeds, small pebbles from the parking area were flying up and hitting me in the face, and I truly was unable to walk against the wind. Walking with the wind caused me to end up on my tiptoes rather than my heels!!

I made a 90-degree turn and headed on the trail towards the Enchanted Forest. Walking along the ridgeline, the wind whipped up on my left through the scrubby head-high vegetation and threatened to take me with it as it blasted towards the steep cliffs on my right. I began searching for the sturdiest plants to cling to should the wind get worse. Yikes! It felt very odd, like I was in a scary movie. The wind whooshed all over and around me, rustling the bushes, from far away to right overhead in an instant. Once over the ridgeline, I was in the goblin forest. If ever there was a place in which gnomes, faeries and forest sprites lived, this is it. It seemed to be a truly magical place in which anything is possible. The trees, some alive and some dead, stood with limbs intertwined, snaking around each other and over the path.

They were covered in moss so long that their trails of green fluttered in the wind, giving the appearance of craggy old arms overgrown with long hair.

Some lichens grew horizontally from the trees and looked like leaves.

I was alone but it felt like there were numerous forest creatures hiding, watching a silly girl tramping through their living room while wide-eyed and giggling. I slipped twice and fell hard, hitting the base of my left thumb near my wrist. It felt like I had bruised something, had a light sprain of the tendon, and it swelled up hotly for the day. I must have inherited my grandma's klutzy gene. But I had more forest to explore!

After hiking for a couple of hours, I came upon the highest "swing bridge" on Taranaki. A swing bridge is shaped almost like a V, with enough room for one foot in front of another while you cling to the braided metal wire for dear life. I am intensely scared of heights, but I was eager to try this, even with the winds whipping down the mountain and swaying the bridge. I had to know if I was really capable of going across.

I got halfway across and looked up at the mountain and then down the ravine--the bridge was easily 100 ft. above the rocks and streams below. I took a deep breath to steel my nerves just as a huge blast of wind hit the bridge. I gripped the metal tightly, waited for the gust to pass, and continued. Got to the other side and did a little victory dance and yell, arms raised--what a HUGE accomplishment for me!! On the other side, I saw this sign!!!!

And also ran into a lovely older gentleman from the Lake Taupo region. He was pleased to see the younger generation taking an interest in the natural world. We chatted for a bit. He has been to the U.S. twice, both times to visit his daughter in Dallas. I encouraged him to visit New England sometime. What a friendly man! Hope he's good with heights...

One more view of clouds coming over the mountain and I was back at the van.



Ahhhh, time for a shower before a lovely evening of fish and chips with my friends!