Pouakai Crossing at Mount Taranaki

From Raglan, I took the bus to New Plymouth. People come here mainly for Mount Taranaki and the surrounding Egmont National Park. Me too! :-)

In 2003, the volcano was the backdrop for the film 'The Last Samurai'. The film is set in Japan and Mount Taranaki is supposed to represent Mount Fuji.

The hostel in New Plymouth, which was located right in the city center, was quite cozy. Unfortunately, there was a karaoke bar directly below the hostel. Even with the window closed and earplugs in, you could hear the loud, off-key, alcohol-infused singing - until 2:30 in the morning!!! As there were also some renovation works going on in the hostel, we were woken up at the latest at half past seven by the hammering and drilling of the construction workers. So I never got a good night's sleep during the few days there...

On the first day, I rented a bike from the hostel and rode along the coast - past long beaches, small bays, and with a view of the towering mountain in the distance. The bike, a 'cruiser', had no gears and was way too small for me, so I had to pedal quite hard.

On Saturday, I went to Mount Taranaki. I wanted to do the 'Pouakai Crossing', an 18.5 km long day hike.

The weather was good, so I set off full of motivation. The first hour and a half was all uphill. Already after half an hour, I was soaking wet and completely exhausted. The first sign (<-- 0.5 h / 1 km | 8.5 h / 16 km -->) was not exactly encouraging... I continued to struggle, but I was very relieved when I completed the first big ascent. I went along a narrow path, partly over rough terrain. I met a few other hikers, but it was not comparable to the crowds at the Tongariro Crossing.

The view of the volcano and the great view into the national park made up for all the effort.

I had a lunch break in a small shelter, then I went down to the Ahukawakawa Swamps. My calves were already hurting at this point and I still had five hours of walking ahead of me! From the swamps, it was uphill for two more hours. When I reached the top, it got colder and the clouds started rolling in. Nevertheless, I took a 3.5 km detour to the 'Pouakai Tarns'. From here, on a clear day, you have a fantastic view of the volcano and if it is calm, the mountain is reflected in the water of the mountain lake. I had seen many pictures of it and really wanted to go there. However, reality looked different. I could only see a part of the mountain before it was enveloped in clouds. And the 'mountain lake' that is always shown in the pictures is a small inconspicuous pond.

The last few hours were 'only' downhill. But I was completely exhausted and my calves and feet hurt so much that it was torture. After thousands of steps, I finally reached the parking lot after 8 hours and 22 km, where my shuttle was waiting for me.

I don't think I've ever had such bad muscle soreness in my legs in my life! Even three days later, every step was painful. I should really consider doing sports... :-)