Jessie and I doing an Easter tramping trip. A very bad idea as the hills are full of all the sort of people I go wandering in the hills to avoid, lost people, large groups of people, hut full people. Easter tramping, if you want the great outdoors and solitude, it will not happen unless its off track.
Thursday 24/03/2016
Left Wellington about seven p.m. heading to Jessie's place in the Hutt, once together we drove to Dawson Falls arriving at the car park after midnight.
Friday 25/03/2016
Got our gear sorted out and decided to go to a close hut for tonight, as it was a bit chill with a small amount of rain. The hut was Waingongoro Hut, new one for us both, the only hut that we had to ourselves this Easter.
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| Waingongoro Hut |
Woke tired to a wet day, quite a bit of rain first thing so went back to sleep, woke later to less rain. In the day this hut and its location are quite interesting.
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| Waingongoro Hut |
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| Waingongoro Hut in main room |
We left the hut heading to the car at Dawson Falls then onto Lake Dive. We took the Lower Lake Dive track which was a nice easy walk in the cloud.
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| Claggy forest walking |
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| Lake Dive Hut |
The hut has its very own goat stationed outside to welcome all visitors, when we arrived it was an empty hut, by four it was a full hut.
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| Lake Dive Hut resident goat |
Didn't see much of the lake as we where in cloud and a bit of drizzle.
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| Lake Dive |
After I had my evening meal I went for a walk up the Upper Lake Dive track, getting out of the bush just in time to snap a few photos of the sun set.
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| Sunset from the bush edge of Upper Lake Dive track |
Saturday 26/03/2016
A very early start to get away from the crowds and arrive at the next hut before it gets full. The walk up the hill is a quick stroll with a few wooden steps along the way to trip you up, catch your shoes, and collapse on you. Clouds had gone from below and we had a good view looking back at Lake Dive and the hut.
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| South to Lake Dive |
Once above the bush in the tussock its a nice easy contour wander, with just a few minor ups and downs, out in the grass.
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| Route to Brames Falls track from Lake Dive |
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| Route to Brames Falls track from Lake Dive |
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| Mossy rocks along the way |
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| Looking North to Mt Egmont |
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| Clouds up high |
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| View North to Mt Egmont |
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| Gully heading to the top |
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| More of the moss and lava |
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| More again |
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| Brames Falls Track |
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| Lava cliffs just before SW to Brames Ridge |
The Brames Falls route down is another easy down hill with nice mixed forest. One bit of ironware to go up not far from Waiaua Gorge hut.
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| Brames track down this ridge top |
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| Heading along the ridge |
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| Narley old tree |
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| Brames Falls |
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| Brames Falls |
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| Ladder minutes from Waiaua Gorge hut |
Stopped for lunch at Waiaua Gorge hut, which was very convenient as it rained buckets while we ate lunch.
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| Waiaua Gorge Hut |
As we headed off we meet lots of people along the way. All where aiming to get to Waiaua Gorge hut for the night, passed at least thirty people.
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| Old hut site |
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| Not great views |
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| Monitoring station just before Kahui Hut |
Got to an empty Kahui hut and we had hot drinks and relaxed.
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| Kahui Hut |
Later went for a wander to check out the track that heads up into the tussock from where we would head to the top of Mt Egmont, if the weather is good. The forecast claimed that tomorrow would be a nice fine day, no more cloud and rain. As I got out of the forest into the shrubbery it pissed down.
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| Old style National Park sign |
Got back to the hut and we decided on an early night, a few hours later a few woman turned up and had a rowdy few hours drinking before they crashed.
Sunday 27/03/2016
Another rainy morning that cleared by eight a.m. so we decided to can the round the mountain trip and head up to the top. We went up the Okahu Gorge summer route, which is 5.01 in the NZAC Taranaki Mount Egmont climbing guide.
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| Looking SW back at the gully below the ridge we came up |
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| Alpine meadow near Black Rock |
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| Across the meadow |
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| Great views |
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| Jessie at the finish of the vegitation |
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| Heading left of the bluff |
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| Clouds chasing us up |
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| Into the scoria |
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| Hot slow going thru here |
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| Me taking a selfie |
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| Top in the distance |
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| Jessie coming up the rocks |
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| Ridge and heading for crater |
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| Jessie on the edge |
Up in the crater, which had a small amount of ice.
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| Crater ice |
On the top with views and not too cold.
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| Memorial near top |
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| View from top |
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| View from top |
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| View from top |
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| Jessie on the top |
Down to Syme Hut, I went as fast as I could tumbling when I hit hard stuff.
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| Fanthams Peak with Syme Hut |
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| Closer to Fanthams Peak and the hut |
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| Looking back where we came from |
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| Syme Hut |
Syme Hut for the night, which got very full, especially when a party of eight arrived.
Monday 28/03/2016
I got out of bed early and went outside to make coffee and porridge, as the hut floor was full of sleeping people. Very chill had to layer up and put on gloves. Beautiful sunrise views with perfect weather.
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| Sunrise from Fanthams Peak |
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| Sun up |
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| Jessie at Syme Hut |
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| Looking at Mt Egmont |
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| Looking back at Syme Hut as we head down |
A quick blast down the mountain back to the car, with a hut bag on the way.
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| Moon and clear sky |
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| Wooden steps, fast way down |
Back at the car in just under one and a half hours.
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| View of the mountain from car park |
Off back to Wellington.
Map of the Walk
View Larger Topographic Map
Trip Times
Friday 25/03/2016
0055 Left car at Dawson Falls
0130 At Waingongoro Hut
left Waingongoro Hut
At Dawson Falls
1118 Left Dawson Falls
1315 Arrived Lake Dive hut
Saturday 26/03/2016
0614 Left Lake Dive Hut
1034 Arrived Waiaua Gorge Hut
1206 Left Waiaua Gorge Hut
1233 Passed old hut site
1234 Junction
1349 Junction
1419 Arrived Kahui Hut
Sunday 27/03/2016
0856 Left Kahui Hut
1019 Out of the bush
1129 Out of the moss
1502 Top of Mt Egmont
1559 Heading down to Syme Hut
1638 Arrived Syme Hut
Monday 28/03/2016
0738 Left Syme Hut
0819 Onto steps
0833 Bagged BLAH Lodge
0844 Hooker Shelter
0906 Back to car at Dawson Falls
No bibles.
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