Our journey took us further to the western North Island. Passing through one of the oldest cities, Wanganui, we stopped for the night at a *ichhabdennamenleidervergessenundfindeihnauch nichtmehr* Beach. We parked on the cliff from where we could see the long, black beach, the setting sun, and the Milky Way at night. This campground wasn't particularly busy and we only heard the waves of the ocean, a very special place. We passed by the largest dairy factory in New Zealand in Hawera, and let us tell you, this factory is simply gigantic! From this city, we should already see our next destination, Mount Egmont, also known as Mount Taranaki. The 2,518 m high volcano can already be seen from a distance. Now we were so close and unfortunately, we couldn't catch a glimpse of it due to the thick cloud cover. We planned to spend about 3 days in the area... so we should have the luck to see it at least once. Although we were able to admire it from a distance before. Maybe you remember the hike "Tongariro Alpine Crossing". By the way, Taranaki last erupted in 1755.
We drove along the Surf Highway that led around the Taranaki Peninsula. Near the coast, the road passed through small villages, lonely, lush green meadows with cows and sheep, and rugged coastlines. We stopped at a lighthouse and about 100 kilometers later, we arrived at Palmerston North and our campground for the next night.
The campground invited us to go fishing and as you can probably guess, Tim was immediately about to catch the next fish. After all, we won't be in the country much longer and who knows how many opportunities there will be. After the long drive, I also stretched my legs by the lake, and for a brief moment, it was finally visible, Mt. Taranaki. Majestically, the snow-covered peak emerged from the cloud cover.
Actually, we wanted to climb it too, but at that time, it was still winter, which didn't allow for an unguided hike. We chose an alternative route that should still reward us with beautiful views and a reflection of the volcano in a mountain lake.
The next morning, we set off on the selected hike. However, when we saw the cloudy sky, we didn't expect anything good. We hesitated, but decided to go for it due to the tight schedule. Equipped with rain jackets, we climbed several hundred steps steeply uphill. First through a dense forest, past a plateau covered with shrubs, before the last section began. In between, we tried to catch a glimpse of the peninsula lying at our feet. But the cloud cover became denser and denser. When it started to rain and storm, we luckily arrived at a mountain hut. It got pretty cold at this altitude and our destination was not yet reached. The weather didn't improve, so we decided to turn back. Soaked and a little frozen, it was the perfect occasion for a fresh, warm shower at the municipal swimming pool.
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