When does a tramp become a wade? 6 of us set out on Friday evening from the train station with some trepidation given the forecast for howling gales and torrential downpours to attempt the Pouakai Circuit on Mount Taranaki, leaving from and returning to the North Egmont visitors centre. Frances, our intrepid leader, was (tactically?) … Read more
The eight of us met at platform nine at 5 pm in an attempt to get away for a slightly early departure for the long drive up to Taranaki. Despite our best efforts, including Dan sneaking out of the office while his boss wasn’t looking, a crash on SH2 and then roadworks on SH1 meant … Read more
We left Friday evening, the van was full and everyone was happy and excited for our tramp. After a quick dinner in Bulls, we arrived at a backpackers place in Stratford, where we found out that we would get to sleep in until 8am, so we were already off to a very good start of … Read more
We tramped the Pouakai circuit and we were happy because it was plan A. Dan planned everything so that we could have an amazing week-end. But one question remained: Did Dan carry food in his backpack? Friday night was a long drive, approximately 5 hours to arrive at the North Egmont camphouse. We didn’t forget … Read more
A late arrival to the north Egmont visitor centre saw us setting up a free camp in the car park area. …nice and easy, although a tad busy in the early hours as all the summit climbers arrived in the dark. It was a clear and mild night, 3 of us under the club fly … Read more
We headed off for Egmont National Park on Friday night in good weather and good spirits and, after a hefty drive, were lucky enough to catch a view of the mighty Mt Taranaki as we drove past in the dark. After a good rest overnight at the local backpackers, we set off from the North Visitor centre … Read more
Most of my tramping gear is kept in the attic, to be fished out every month or two. There are several pairs of everything up there, which can lead to mix-ups on occasions. One of those occasions was when I agreed to lead the Pouakai Range circuit trip in Egmont National Park in May. The … Read more