Taranaki Maunga

Taranaki Maunga: Pouakai Circuit and Syme Hut

Date: 8th of May to 11th of May

Location: Mt Taranaki

Difficulty: Easy-Medium. Approx. 7 hour days, good quality track, a couple big climbs in-between flat-ish ridges. Syme Hut is cold and has a scree climb.

Note: Drivers get priority! The trip may be adjusted as weather conditions allow. If we are unlucky with inclement weather, we will skip Syme Hut, or consider delaying by one week.

Costs: Huts are $25 per night, Syme is $10 per night + around $150ish in fuel split among your car. Group dinners will be $6.

Bring: You must bring everything on the overnight tramp list, your own lunches and breakfasts, and plenty of snacks. Warm and waterproof layers are a must, including a beanie + gloves. Syme Hut varies between 5/-3C in May. Poles and sunglasses recommended for Syme Hut but not necessary if you have confident footing.
 

Itinerary

We are combining two different trips - Syme Hut overnighter and the Pouakai Circuit overnight - but will break them up with a short drive inbetween each trailhead.

Thursday - Day 0 - Meet at the Hunter carpark and drive to the Kai Iwi beach for a detour. Stop in Stratford for food, then continue on to the The Plateau carpark. Lots of small tracks around to explore for the remainder of the day. Overnight at Waingongoro Hut.

Friday - Day 1 - Head towards the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre, then make the climb up to Syme Hut.

Saturday - Day 2 - Descend back down to the Visitor Centre, then back up to The Plateau. Drive to the North Egmont visitor centre, and begin the walk to Holly Hut. (Or Pouakai Hut if it's finished refurbishment and open to visitors)

Sunday - Day 3 - Get up before dawn and visit the Pouakai Tarns for sunrise. If we're at the Holly Hut, we'll have to depart the hut around 5am and tramp a bit through the darkness. If we're at Pouakai, then it's a breezy 15 min walk. Then we finish up the circuit and head back to the North Egmont visitor centre. Have some pizza at Stratford, then drive back to Welly!

Route

Thursday in red, Friday in blue, Saturday in pink.

Saturday in pink, Sunday in wine-red.