30 Jan - 1 Feb 2016

Auckland Anniversary Weekend provides for the one of the best weekends to do this tramp as it is summer and not a long weekend in Taranaki therefore with a bit of luck you will have great weather and room at the huts.

I have always wanted to do this walk. I had been planning on doing some much needed training given the fact I hadn’t done a weekend tramp for nearly 20 years!! Unfortunately this did not happen. Neither did my memory of how to pack lightly!

We set out on Saturday morning from the North Egmont Visitors Centre at 10am, all looking forward to a great weekend.

The walk to Holly Hut was really beautiful as we climbed steadily through montane forest and subalpine scrub, and sidled along the bench track beneath the towering lava columns of the Dieffenbach Cliffs, crossing the Boomerang Slip.

It took 4 hours to reach the hut and we were kept cool by the occasional showers which always seemed to stop when we put our raincoats on.

Holly Hut is a well maintained hut and has a nice area for pitching your tents. We set up camp here then did the side walk to see Bells Falls. This track passes through some lovely native bush and brings you out near the base of the falls which is a perfect place for a dip as it was such a hot day.

That night we watched the sun set over Mt Taranaki and listened as the Tui swooped in for the night. The stars were amazing and it was so nice being away from the hustle of the city.

The next day dawned cloudless so we set off early to Pouakai Hut. The track crossed the Ahukawakawa Swamp which was formed 3500 years ago. A boardwalk has been constructed to protect the flora and fauna as even in summer it is very wet underfoot.

Then we climbed a steep ridge through Mountain Cedar and sidled around to the hut, arriving there in time for lunch (and feeling very hot!). After lunch we did a side trip up to Pouakai Trig (1440m), which I regretted half way up as it was quite a climb and very hot. But when we reached the trig I forgot about that as the views were absolutely amazing.

Back to the hut then after dinner those with cameras and phones walked to a nearby tarn as it was a perfect evening. I have seen photos taken from this spot with the mountain reflected in the tarn and I wasn’t disappointed as it was absolutely stunning. It was worth carrying my heavy camera all that way for (I think!!).

Pouakai Hut has brilliant views out over New Plymouth and the coast so that night we enjoyed watching the twinkling lights of the city far below us.

On Monday we were up early as this was to be our longest day. By now my legs were getting quite sore and I was feeling the effects of no training so I was at the back of the group all day! We passed through open tussock, around Maude Peak then climbed steeply up Henry Peak before descending the Kaiauai Track.

It was another very warm day so it was nice to be walking in the lovely bush for the hottest part of the day. We crossed several small gullies and various streams and bridges, stopping for lunch and a swim beside one. We finally emerged at the road and our bus, just as it started to rain.

It was such an awesome weekend, with the lovely people in our group, the brilliant walk we did and the perfect weather.

It was also a good reminder to me that I needed to train before walks like that and pack much lighter, but it has definitely inspired me to do more tramping.

Thanks to Selwyn our leader and Dianne our driver. Other participants were Peter, Fiona, Paul, Anne, Sarah, Judith, Alex, Dawn, and scribe Jacqui Dick.