Our main purpose in visiting New Plymouth was to see the impressive Mount Taranaki (2518 metres high) and attempt to climb it! It's yet another dormant volcano (last eruption 17
55 so we felt quite safe - despite reading in the guide book that another eruption is well overdue!) We hired a car, got up early for a big breakfast and set off up the mountain at 8am. We were advised to pack for all weathers so had our backpacks stuffed with extra clothes, waterproofs and of course lots of water, food and chocolate! The first section up to Tahurangi Lodge wasn't too bad, apart from the infamous "Puffer Hill" - aptly na
med because puffing and panting is exactly what you're doing all the way to the top of it! After that a wooden stairway led us up to the North Ridge and then the fun began! Slopes of scoria had to be encountered to get up to the Lizard Ridge but it was so hard to climb up as for every step forward you slipped about 2 steps backwards! We were very glad we had brought our gloves as we ended up wearing
them to grab onto rocks along the way up! After scrambling up the scoria slopes we then clambered up some rocky crags onto Lizard Ridge which led us to the volcano crater itself. Even though it's summer here, some bad weather a few weeks ago meant that there was still some crater i
ce to cross. (Fortunately only a short, but narrow, ledge where we had to grab onto the rocks on the left side to avoid slipping on the ice and going over the crate
r edge on the right!) Then it was down into the crater itself which is filled with snow all year round! By the time we got up there the clouds were below us which blocked the view from the top somewhat but it was fantastic to be up there above the clouds and see all the snow and the ice crystals hanging from the rocks! Awesome! (to quote a well used Aussie & Kiwi phrase!) It took us 5 hours to climb up the mountain so we allowed ourselves about 20 minutes to play around in the snow
before starting our descent! I didn't think that going down would have been as taxing as going up - but how wrong can you be?! It was much more precarious climbing down the rocks than up and as for the scoria slopes - well your feet just slipped out from under you and you ended up on your backside! Well I did! Connie did much better at staying on her feet than I did - but it wasn't
the most dignified descent for either of us, put it that way! We were both dead chuffed with ourselves for having done it though - it felt like a real achievement! Not sure we would do it again though! Or if we did - it would have to be on the condition that a helicopter would come to wynch u
s up from the crater at the top! I wouldn't want to repeat that descent again for all the money in the world! Having an easy day today after yesterday's exertions! It was exhausting but the exhilaration in getting to the top more than made up for it! And as Connie put it when we got home last night - we were absolutely Taranackered!
Our main purpose in visiting New Plymouth was to see the impressive Mount Taranaki (2518 metres high) and attempt to climb it! It's yet another dormant volcano (last eruption 17
55 so we felt quite safe - despite reading in the guide book that another eruption is well overdue!) We hired a car, got up early for a big breakfast and set off up the mountain at 8am. We were advised to pack for all weathers so had our backpacks stuffed with extra clothes, waterproofs and of course lots of water, food and chocolate! The first section up to Tahurangi Lodge wasn't too bad, apart from the infamous "Puffer Hill" - aptly na
med because puffing and panting is exactly what you're doing all the way to the top of it! After that a wooden stairway led us up to the North Ridge and then the fun began! Slopes of scoria had to be encountered to get up to the Lizard Ridge but it was so hard to climb up as for every step forward you slipped about 2 steps backwards! We were very glad we had brought our gloves as we ended up wearing 
them to grab onto rocks along the way up! After scrambling up the scoria slopes we then clambered up some rocky crags onto Lizard Ridge which led us to the volcano crater itself. Even though it's summer here, some bad weather a few weeks ago meant that there was still some crater i
ce to cross. (Fortunately only a short, but narrow, ledge where we had to grab onto the rocks on the left side to avoid slipping on the ice and going over the crate
r edge on the right!) Then it was down into the crater itself which is filled with snow all year round! By the time we got up there the clouds were below us which blocked the view from the top somewhat but it was fantastic to be up there above the clouds and see all the snow and the ice crystals hanging from the rocks! Awesome! (to quote a well used Aussie & Kiwi phrase!) It took us 5 hours to climb up the mountain so we allowed ourselves about 20 minutes to play around in the snow 
before starting our descent! I didn't think that going down would have been as taxing as going up - but how wrong can you be?! It was much more precarious climbing down the rocks than up and as for the scoria slopes - well your feet just slipped out from under you and you ended up on your backside! Well I did! Connie did much better at staying on her feet than I did - but it wasn't 
the most dignified descent for either of us, put it that way! We were both dead chuffed with ourselves for having done it though - it felt like a real achievement! Not sure we would do it again though! Or if we did - it would have to be on the condition that a helicopter would come to wynch u
s up from the crater at the top! I wouldn't want to repeat that descent again for all the money in the world! Having an easy day today after yesterday's exertions! It was exhausting but the exhilaration in getting to the top more than made up for it! And as Connie put it when we got home last night - we were absolutely Taranackered!
2 comments:
Wow!!! Just finally catching up with your blog again, and am so impressed that you made it to the top! WELL DONE! ... The pictures look amazing. Oh,and by the way... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! Glad you liked my parcel, and thanks for your presents Julie - I loved them! Ones hanging of my mobile phone, and the other is hanging near my telly - its dead sweet! Will email again soon.... Have fun! Luv Sarah x
Are you both mad??? Maybe it's the lack of oxygen in the air being so high up. Well done to you both. Love from Ruth, Dave & Emma Sophie xx
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