TARANAKI + TARARUAS
Instead of getting on the trail after being on the Whanganui river for a few days, a side trip to Mt. Taranaki sounded exciting.
So we hopped on the road + got our thumbs up. This was our longest hitch to date + took a full day. It was a tough one, but our last hitch changed everything. A mom + her son picked us up on our last leg up to the mountain visitor center. The mom, Carole, almost took us up, but then decided it was too late, the center would be closed + we would stay in their guest house for the night.
The Parr's were amazing hosts. We luckily got to chat with them a bit after dinner + spend some time with their new black lab puppy, Bella. They also had the most beautiful view of Mt. Taranaki + we had a great day to see it.
The next day we popped up to the mountain + started what was supposed to be a three day adventure. We started the day out with some fog, but clearings gave us glimpses of summit. We were truly amazed with this one. It looked like a mountain you'd doodle- a perfect triangle with a white cap on top. When we arrived at the hut we were staying at for the night, the weather went from okay to terrible. Raining cats + dogs + gale force winds. We decided to cut our trip short to two days.
Probably the best part of this trip was meeting a group of six in the hut. Sam, Anna, Josh, Reegan, Michael + Maggie were instant friends. We played cards all night + in the morning hiked down with them + stopped at a cafe for lunch. We planned to meet up with them in Wellington.
The Tararua Ranges were the first sizable mountain range of our adventure so far + gave us a taste of what was to come as far as difficulty in the South Island.
The range is described as a giant landslide full of thick mossy vegetation below the 3000 foot mark + covered in waist high tussock bush above on the ridge. As you ascend + descend the long 3 hour ups + downs + tip toe your way across the muddy ridge, you start to notice the big green steps that are the ranges.
The top of the ridge is quite a shock. The view is stunning, but there is also a ridiculous amount of mud for being 4,000 feet up. We slipped, slid + fell many times, which was honestly quite nerve racking when you look to the left or right of you + notice the drop offs.
It was all worth it though. The hard climbs payed off with breathtaking vistas. Although some of the views were only brief glimpses of the miles of ridge to come as the clouds broke + reformed, they gave us the motivation to keep sliding across to the next hut.
The Tararuas took us 3 days to go up + over the tallest peak, which was just enough time to escape from the bad weather to come. On the last morning on the mountain we woke in a cloud of rain + left early to summit + descend before gale or greater winds swept through in the afternoon. We were wet + cold but luckily hiked with a new friend Matt that morning.
Good times in the Tararuas, but tough. Soon after we found ourselves in Wellington after a couple more short sections of trail. We will stay here for a bit and prepare for the South Island.
-Marina + Devon