Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Following 50kms of wilderness 'tramping', we are today having a rest day at the foot of Mt Taranaki in the SW of the North Island. We're sharing a (relatively) luxurious cabin with Chiho, a Japanese friend we met on the trek. Unfortunately the weather isn't good today otherwise we'd probably be trying to make the summit of the nearby 2,500 metre Mt Taranaki (used for the filming of the Last Samurai to represent Mt Fuji).
The hike saw us carrying our packs with food, sleeping bags, cooking equipment and clothing for four days through the amazing volcanic scenery of the Mt Tongariro Northern Circuit. The highest point was 1,886 metres with great panoramic views. It was a bit of a slog at times, but the colourful rocks plus green and blue lakes were worth it. Fran went over on her ankle at the end of day two, but although it looked impressively bruised and swollen it didn't hurt too much. We stayed in mountain huts which sleep about 25 people - and for each of the three nights the huts were full. In fact, on the third night we were sleeping on the floor as all the bunks had gone by the time we arrived.
Prior to the trek we were in Rotorua for a few days. The thermal springs, mud pools and geysers were fascinating. And the thermals were all over the place - in people's gardens and coming out of drains. The largest geyser spurts steam and water up 30 metres in the air every 25 minutes or so.
- comments