National Park Village and the Tongeriro Crossing

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National Park Village is the nearest location to the Tongeriro Crossing, the most popular day tramp in NZ, though attempting it in winter provided an additional challenge with the presence of snow and ice and as a result, the need to use crampons. I was very fortunate in meeting Eric again, a fellow tramper from the Able Tasman hike, and his friend, Dave, an experienced tramper and one time outward bound instructor. Undertaking this hike alone is not a sensible option in winter! The YHA manager, Thomas, was very helpful in his advice, as well as providing the necessary equipment for hire (crampons) and transport to the starting points of the hikes.
We accomplished the crossing in 6 hours with additional stopping time for food, photo's and crampon 'fixing'. Altogether a spectacular tramp despite variable levels of cloud and on higher ground winds of 40 - 65km an hour. There were times were the snow was above our knees (a more frequent occurrence for me with the shortest legs!), but we were able to negotiate the steep incline and descents with the use of walking poles to give extra stability and prevent being blown off the ridges. Sadly there was too much snow, ice and wind to climb Mount Tongeriro or Ngauguhoe to reach the craters of either one.
The backpacker hostel was next door to the local bar, serving a very acceptable pint of Speights beer, and after the hike we retired there for dinner and a few pints, a very hospitable watering hole with good food served in large quantities, quickly demolished by all, as the cold and energy needed for the crossing gives you a significant appetite. National Park village though small also had a decent cafe at the old railway station, and whenever the opportunity arose I would make use of their special offer of good coffee and cake for 5$ (NZ dollars).
I stayed for 3 nights at the village and after a days rest, completed another 6 hour tramp to the Tamu Lakes, on the other side of Mount Ngauruhoe. For me the lakes were of even more spectacular than the Emerald Lakes on the Tongeriro Crossing, also the weather was bright and sunny with no wind or snow, so much easier to negotiate this track. I had remembered to take sunscreen on this tramp but despite this finished the day as brown as a berry, and feeling really fit and alive.
My final tramp in NZ was to Lake Waikeramoana, though the journey to this Lake was very circuitous and therefore long over a few days. I stopped off at Lake Taupo for 2 nights and received a thorough soaking as the weather deteriorated and the volcanic lake looked grey and depressing. A 2 night stop at Napier, on the coast, was much more interesting with thermal hot pools available at the local recreation centre overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Here I managed a 50% reduction in the entry price for being a senior citizen! The final town before arriving at Lake Waikeramoana was Waoroa, also on the coast and perhaps the most laid back town in NZ. Unfortunately no cheap accommodation so stayed in a brilliant motel with a helpful manager who, with the I-site people enabled me to arrange the transport to the lake ( a 50km journey ) and also transport to the beginning of the tramp and collection from the other end. Fortunately I'd allowed a day to organise all of this, not easy to do as it was the end of the main tramping season with few takers, and the lake is known as one of NZ's best kept secrets.

Photo 1. Mount Ngauruhoe, this was used in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Mount Doom (an amalgamation with Mount Cook).
Photo 2. Dave and Eric, happy snappers on a cold day.
Photo 3. David and I looking perished, but happy to be there. NB At this point the lowering cloud base was beginning to obscure Mt Tongeriro in the background, also note the ice formations in the foreground, crampons essential footwear at this point!
Photo 4. The Emerald Lake from the highest point of the trek.
Photo 5. The Mount Ruapahoe range taken from National Park village. The volcanic lower slopes of this range were also used in the final scenes of the journey to Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings.
Photo 6. Mount Tongeriro viewed from the Southern Crater early on in the crossing.
Photo 7. The final descent from the crossing, were we passed the thermal volcanic vents along the hillside, the all pervasive smell of sulphur.
Photo 8. The YHA backpackers hostel in National Park Village. The climbing wall hall was used in the Lord of the Rings filming as a rehearsal hall. The whole trilogy generated a lot of income to people in the area.
Photo 9. The Teranaki Waterfall viewed on the Tamu Lakes walk.
Photo 10. The upper Tamu Lake viewed from the narrow ridge of the final ascent.

New Plymouth and Mount Egmont National Park

Travelling from Whanganui to New Plymouth, as usual, by bus, was the next stage of my journey northwards on North Island NZ. After only 2 nights in the YHA, New Plymouth, I decided to move to the Shoestring Backpackers nearer to the town centre which had a far better quality of accommodation, in fact the best place to stay so far in NZ. The stay in New Plymouth was extended to 9 nights due to the onset of winter and a general deterioration in the weather. I waited for 5 days before the weather improved enough to safely hike up to the higher altitudes of Mount Teranaki region, and then only with the hiring of crampons due to the risk of snow, which was just what transpired. Whilst waiting I made use of the local swimming pool and continued to train for the diving course in Australia, now booked and confirmed for mid-August. Local hikes included some quite spectacular walks along the coastal path at a time of high seas, and an inland trek to Lake Mangamahoe, a local park created when a dam was built in 1931 and the surrounding area landscaped and given to the people of New Plymouth. The Pukekura park, closer to the centre of town, provided some very fine walks as well as a decent cup of tea in the tea rooms in the centre of the park, particularly useful when the weather was changeable and getting soaked was an all too frequent occurance!
I spent many evenings in the hostel chatting to other backpackers, over a few beers, an opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and other evenings spent watching DVDs, of some films I'd not seen, with the same group of people. The local Arts Cinema had a one night showing of the French film, 'the Diving Bell and the Butterfly' a biographical film of one man's experience of dictating the story of his extreme disability (a stroke at 52 years). His only means of communication was by blinking one eye. A film very movingly portrayed, and I had not had a chance to see it in London.
Finally the weather cleared sufficiently to attempt the Pouakai circuit walk, the mountain range facing Mount Teranaki, where there would also be good views of Teranaki. The Pouakai range was another volcanic range thought to have been formed 250,000 years ago, 180,000 years before Mount Taranaki. The European colonists named it Mount Egmont, however the Moari people had named it Teranaki, one of the Maori sacred mountains in the area alongside Mount Tongiriro and Ngauruhoe and it is generally referred to as Teraniki today. The advice of DOC was to start at the Mangerei track, and avoid the higher altitudes of the Holly hut tramp starting at the Mount Egmont Visitor Centre, as the weather is very changeable at this time of the year and the track icy with some snow and also the wet weather had caused some significant landslips at the higher altitudes. The Mangerie track proved to be quite challenging as the track itself was poorly maintained by DOC and therefore extremely muddy in places with large areas of erosion. The lower half was very muddy and when I reached an altitude of 850m snow had fallen and started to fall again making the journey slower. A two and a half hour tramp took three and a quarter hours to reach the Pouakai hut, where I stayed the night. Climbing a further 50m brought me to a plateau with some spectalular views of Mount Teranaki where the sunset was bathing the mountains in incredible colours. By this time I was joined by Suzanne, a Czech tramper, and Mark, a teacher with ten 14 year old boys on an outward bound course who were spending the night in tents! The boys were well behaved but whenever possible sneaked into the hut to warm themselves by the fire.
The weather next morning was, in contrast to the previous day, diabolical, and conditions were blizzard-like. We waited for two hours with only a slight improvenment in the conditions and finally with great reluctance decided to go back down the Mangerei track and abandon the circuit, not a good day...
Whilst in New Plymouth I was able to make contact with Rena's friend, Geoff, and spent one night at his family home in Normandby. It was an enjoyable stay, and Geoff gave me the 'grand tour' of his caravan business. Wendy, his wife, made me feel very welcome and I stayed in the 'bach', their guest accommodation and though only there for 24 hours ate and drank my fill of good NZ hospitality!
Photo 1. Lake Mangamahoe
Photo 2. The Tasman Sea viewed from the Coastal Walk, this was taken from beyond the swimming pool in New Plymouth.
Photo 3. The lake at Pukekura Park, viewed from the tea rooms.
Photo 4. The Mangerie Track at the beginning of the snow line.
Photo 5. The sunset looking towards the sea, from the plateau above the Pouakai Hut.
Photo 6. Mount Teranaki, again taken from the plateau, facing east.

Abel Tasman and Nelson, final journeys in South Island

Booked the Abel Tasman trek on arrival in Nelson, literally the city at the centre of New Zealand. Spending the first day in Nelson buying supplies for the trek and found it to be an attractive town but generally possessing a warmer climate with a lower annual rainfall than further south.
Started the 4 night trek on the 2nd May, staying in huts with fewer facilities than on other treks, so it was necessary to buy a small camping stove and fuel. The trek is another of the NZ 'Great Walks' probably the most famous and popular of these walks but differs from others I'd completed as being entirely a coastal walk situated in the Able Tasman National Park. As with other national parks in NZ there is very careful conservation of the environment which is greatly emphasised to trampers by the hut wardens. This tramp/trek was outside the main season (from the 1st May) and therefore hut bookings were much cheaper by about 40%. By the end of the first day I'd teamed up with 2 other trampers and we continued tramping together for 4 of the 5 days. Each days tramping took us through black beech and treefern dense forests with sudden spectacular views of sandy bays and inlets which most days we traversed and on 3 occasions negotiated tidal river crossings (at times with water up to and above our knees)as well as taking the opportunity to swim in the bays. The last day involved retracing our steps to the water taxi pick-up point and I had 2 hours in which to collect mussels for dinner that night, and very tasty they were too!
The final 2 days in Nelson were spent sightseeing, visiting the cathedral, hiking to the 'Centre of New Zealand' viewing point and then on to the Japanese Mizuli Gardens and finally in Nelson again making use of the local swimming pool facilities.
The YHA are able to book accommodation and arrange transport to other destinations with no booking fees so I booked my bus to Picton and from there the ferry to Wellington on the 9th May.
Photo 1. A view of Bark Bay from the footpath.
Photo 2. A view of the largest island and the city of Nelson in the distance.
Photo 3. Anchorage bay viewed from the hut, with the incoming tide.
Photo 4. Anchorage Bay at sunset.
Photo 5. Russell, a fellow tramper at Cleopatra's pool.
Photo 6. The forest at Bark Bay, in the evening light.
Photo 7. Sue at Cleopatra's Pool, after a brief paddle as the water was very cold!
Photo 8. A motley crew of trampers waiting for low tide on the 3rd day at Awaroa hut.
Photo 9. A weka bird, with attitude. I had to rescue my boot liners from his grasp and he also bit my undefended toe shortly afterwards.
Photo 10. Nelson viewed from the 'Centre of NZ' vantage point.
Photo 11. Wellington 'Old Cathedral', built entirely of New Zealand timbers and now deconsecrated but still has 5 functioning bells.
Photo 12. Wellington Anglican Cathedral, the foundation stone laid by Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
Photo 13. The old cathedral, again of wood including the bell tower.