Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey departs New Plymouth, heading up to the North Egmont visitor centre, then from there climbing to the summit of Mount Taranaki.
Today's Journey
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From New Plymouth, we follow the road towards the mountain on this perfectly clear morning, reaching the North Egmont information centre. |
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The track leaves the information centre heading quite steeply up the mountain under some massive bluffs. We negotiate our way along a moderate slope between two of these bluffs to reach the private Tahurangi Lodge. |
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From the hut, the track climbs through a steep gorge cut into the volcanic rock towards the mountain's upper slopes. |
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A large slab of melting snow sits in the gorge. The winter snows are soon to start falling on the mountain, so this is about as much as this block of ice will melt this summer. |
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The track climbs the rocky bluff as cloud begins to appear from nowhere. |
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It is not long before we are at the top of the gorge climbing over scree slope of North Ridge in dense cloud. |
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It is not long before we pass through the cloud showing the remaining mountain to climb with The Lizard to the right of the summit. |
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We climb over The Lizard into the snow-filled crater. Mount Taranaki last erupted in the 1850s, with the most recent eruption happening around 1655. The mountain has erupted frequently in its 135,000 year history. |
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Reaching the mountain's summit at 2518 metres above sea level. |
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Looking across the crater to Shark's Tooth before beginning the long descent back down the mountain. |
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