28th February New Plymouth - Ohakune

So this morning we want to attempt the ascent to Mt Taranki. In the beautiful sunshine, we leave New Plymouth and drive around the volcano. And, and? More and more clouds stick to the mountain. We head towards Mt Taranaki Viewing Platform, but the clouds thicken, we can't see anything anymore and when we arrive at the top, it's raining. What a disappointment and on the other side, sunny weather. So we go back down and after a cappuccino in Stratford, it looks better and we try our luck at the Dawson Waterfalls. So Mt Taranaki remains behind the clouds, but it's not raining and we have ground visibility. 😄 It goes along narrow paths through the dense rainforest to the waterfalls. Always beautiful. Then we make our way to the Wilkies Pools, an easy path, of course through the rainforest, where the trees are covered with moss and lichens, leads us there. The way back is a bit more adventurous. Again, we walk along narrow paths through the forest, occasionally passing a small waterfall or stepping over rocks where the path is missing. We also have to cross a river by hopping from stone to stone, hoping not to slip and get wet feet.