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One of my favourite coastal walks is to head north from Bell Block beach and walk along under the cliffs until you get to the Waiongana river mouth. It's a low tide walk and takes about an hour to get to the Waiongana river. Near the rover, you get fantastic views of Taranaki apprearing above the breaking surf and the coastal cliffs. Typically, I also see a lot of birdlife along this section of coast and frequently see both New Zealand and banded dotterels around the Waiongana river mouth where …

I've been wanting to do some night photos of the milky way curving over the mountain (Taranaki) for a long time now but the conditions haven't been right and there is only a few days a year when everything lines up right. Firstly the milky way has to be in the right aspect then it has to be close to a new moon and lastly you need a fine clear night. For the last couple of months the night conditions around the new moon just haven't been clear enough and the weather outlook heading into Taranaki …

East ridge is becoming my favourite summer route for climbing Taranaki now that the North Egmont summer route has become so crowded. The route up East Ridge from the Stratford Plateau is poorly marked but if you know the way it is a great route to take.  Great views out over central Taranaki, relatively undisturbed moss slopes and then a long climb up the old lava flows taking you up onto the top of Sharkstooth. To get down into the crater from sharkstooth, you go down through a narrow …

The Pouakai circuit has become one of the most popular tramping routes in Egmont National Park and though it is promoted as a 2 day tramp it can easily be done in a single day taking 9 to 10 hours.  I first tramped this circuit in the 1970s with my father. In those days it was not really developed as a full circuit and the track over Henry peak was nothing more than a steep and treacherous mud slide.  I last tramped this route in March 2017. It really is a great route covering a w …

On Sunday Iheaded off for a climb of Taranaki from the Stratford Plateau via curtis ridge. I've been wanting to make a climb up curtis ridge  for a few years now but have never quite managed to fit it in. Its an enjoyable route best done while there's still a good covering of snow so that you can get off the top of the ridge and traverse across onto the southern side of the mountain to complete the climb up into the crater. I last climbed this route in 1978 with my father though the climb I …