John was making good progress towards the end of Te Araroa, and I planned on joining him in Invercargill to hike the last stretch with him to Bluff. As I had some flexible time workwise ahead of me, I wanted to take it a little slower and make it a worthwhile trip going south. As I have never been to New Plymouth but always marveled at Mt Taranaki when flying south from Auckland, it was time to visit this volcano. Mount Taranaki is a stratovolcano (conical with several layers of hardened lava and tephra), and with its 2,518 meters, it is the second-highest mountain on the North Island. It sticks out pretty iconically from the flat plains of the North Islands southwest and can be seen from far and above. I have seen it numerous times from the plane, and I was always in awe about the symmetry, the mostly snowcapped top, and about how the farmland stops at an invisible border that someone seemed to have perfectly drawn circling the mountain with dividers. Geologically, with its 135,000 years, it is almost a youngster; the most recent volcanic activity is as long ago as the 1850s or 1860s when a lava dome in the crater was produced and collapsed later. These days, Taranaki is dormant. There are plenty of trails on the slopes of Mt Taranaki and obviously trails to the summit, making it a fantastic destination for hiking. So, I headed to New Plymouth on a six-hour ride by Intercity bus from Auckland’s SkyTerminal. The ride crosses Waikato and into the Taranaki region before arriving in New Plymouth. I didn’t expect much from the – with roughly 44,000 inhabitants average-sized – New Zealand city. But, what a surprise: the town offers a really lovely couple of kilometres-long coastal walkway with stunning views over the Tasman Sea, an exciting art gallery, and an unexpected number of good cafés. But I didn’t get to Taranaki to sit around in cafés! I contemplated climbing to the summit, but the weather forecast didn’t look too great, so after discussing back and forth with the knowledgeable lady at the information center, I decided to do the Pouākai Crossing. This hike is a 19-km-long one that starts at the Mount Taranaki National Park Visitor Center and winds its way across the lower slopes towards Holly Hut and later towards Pouākai Hut. After that, it is a longish downhill over endless boardwalks and steps toward a parking lot at the shoulder of Taranaki. This crossing is promoted as an excellent alternative to the notoriously busy Tongariro Crossing which is by far the most well-known and popular day hike in Aotearoa New Zealand. Let’s see if it actually can live up to the set expectations! Interestingly enough, the crossing is also part of the longer Pouākai Circuit.
Soon after leaving the Information Center, the trail climbed above the tree line and enabled views towards the summit as well as towards the ocean. However, clouds were quickly rolling in. Only an hour or so later, I was hiking in fog, so much about panoramic views for the day. After a good bit of uphill hiking on a nicely maintained trail, the paths became more muddy but now traversed along the slopes. Stunning rock faces, occasionally a rock gully to cross, and typical alpine scrub accompanied me. I decided to take a quick break at Holly Hut because it started drizzling. When hiking all by myself, I am not good at having long breaks; I prefer hiking. So, not long after I finished a few snacks, I kept hiking: the trail rolled up to a little rim before dipping into the vast, beautiful valley of the Ahukawakawa Swamp. I followed the boardwalk towards a viewpoint. This small area has a unique microclimate and is home to many plant species, some of which can only be found here. Crossing a stream, the trail climbed up and up again, passing wind-crocked trees. I felt full of energy and was almost flying up the hill. Back up at the rim, I reached a junction where the trail diverted to the right towards the famous Pouākai tarns. Recently, it became one of those spots that regularly appear on Instagram because, on a clear day, the iconic cone of Taranaki is mirrored perfectly in the calm waters of the tarn. However, today, the volcano hid away shyly in a coat of clouds, and so the tarn was surrounded by a bunch of very miserable-looking rather young people who were ready to pose on the bank. But at least I was happy to be out and hiking; I wasn’t taking hiking as an obstruction to get somewhere.
The following quick break I took was at Pouākai Hut. Now, I was back into the fog, but it added a mysterious tad to the surroundings. Standing on the huts porch I called the shuttle driver from earlier this morning to let him know I’ll be at the parking lot in roughly an hour. Shortly after I started the descent, I dived into the dense bush that grows on the mountain slopes. The wooden steps and the boardwalk felt endless, and at some point, my knees started to scream at me. Having arrived at the parking lot, I didn’t have to wait long before the shuttle came around the corner. The driver smirked at me and apologized for his work clothes, but he did not expect my call so early. During the drive back, we had a really niceand interesting conversation about the area and New Plymouth. It’s too bad that the weather was not good enough to climb to the summit, but it is also good to spare something for later, isn’t it? I was missing the views to fully judge whether or not Pouākai Crossing can keep up with Tongariro Crossing. However, when it comes to solitude, the Pouākai Crossing definitely wins over the Tongariro Crossing.
Taranaki, I will be back, but now it is time to catch a flight to Christchurch and, from there, a bus down along the east coast toward Dunedin.
