Taranaki

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 -39.27014692, 174.09589469

Yes
1652 m	2507 m
1641 m	936 m

			Total
	6.2 km	6.06 km	12.26 km
	3h 10min 9s	1h 42min 9s	4h 52min 18s
	1.96 km/h	3.56 km/h	2.52 km/h

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This track goes up to the top of Taranaki / Mount Egmont (2518 m), following the Summit Track which is an official track from the Department of Conservation New Zealand (DOC).

The track starts at the North Egmont visitor centre where there is a car park to leave your car. Note that the car park is really small for all the people that come for hiking. There are many other routes starting from here, not only the Summit Track. I would advise to come very early but even if you do you may find it hard to find a spot because there are people that start very early to see the sunrise from the top.

Even though there are only 6 kilometres to the top, the elevation gain of +1600 meters is quite substantial making it a hard one. The track goes up from the very beginning and it doesn't stop until the very end. It even gets steeper on the last third of the way.

I think this track could be divided into 4 parts:

  Part 1: Up to Tahurangi lodge
Even though it's steep, this section is the easiest by far. The track is quite wide and there is no difficulty apart from the slope. At about 3.6 kilometres you will find an antenna where you can also find a toilet and 200 meters beyond you arrive at the Tahurangi lodge. Tahurangi lodge is private, it belongs to the Taranaki Alpine Club but the may have some available spots for the general public that you may book.

  Part 2: The stairs
Once you leave the Tahurangi lodge you will get into a ravine. In the first part you will be walking through rocks and then it gets steeper and you will find there are quite a few sets of stairs. This part is steep and tough but it lasts less than a kilometer.

  Part 3: Slipery soil
This next section is not that long either, maybe another kilometre or less, but it's going to put you to the test. You are going to find different sizes of gravel and soil very loose. It is frustrating at times because you may be taking 3 steps up and slipping one step down.
In this section, depending on how cloudy it is and how high the clouds are, you are going to start having amazing views of the surroundings.

  Part 4: Rocks until the top
You will feel very happy once you leave the loose soil behind but this section is not easy either. You are going to be walking through big rocks that will often require you to use your hands to climb up. It is never difficult or dangerous but your progress will be slow.
This rocky section is about 600 meters and then you get to the crater. You need to descend through rocks to the crater where highly probable you will find snow. Even with snow it is not difficult and it will probably won't require crampons, I didn't use them, even though I had them, because it was just walking on a gentle slope.
Only one last hurdle remains, the last 150 meters to the summit. This last hurdle could take you 5 or 25 minutes depending on how lucky you are choosing your way up. There is no clear way to go up and you choose which way it looks best to you. Some parts have more loose soil and so they are more slippery and frustrating than others.


You made it to the top! now enjoy those absolutely amazing views 360 degrees. New Plymouth, Paritutu and the whole east coastline on one side. Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro on the East side.

Interestingly the top is really wide so it's an unmatchable spot for enjoying your well-deserved lunch.

The way down follows exactly the same path although it's a lot more fun since all the slippery parts with loose soil now you can ski them down with a bit of practice.

In summary, a pretty tough mountain with amazing rewarding views at the top. You will probably have sore legs the day after.

One note of caution, I'll be very worried about hiking this mountain when covered in snow. Even if you have crampons and an ice axe the slope is so steep that if you fall and you don't stop yourself fast enough you won't be able to stop until you crash in the ravine near the lodge.

And one interesting fact, when going up I found myself talking to an old lady who told me she had climbed this mountain over 70 times. Her hiking partner that day had climbed the mountain nearly 800 times!
If that was not enough, when I got to the summit I met another old couple each of them with more than a thousand summits!!
They told me the record is held by a guy who has more than 1800 climbs. Just unbelievable. How committed do you have to be to this one single mountain?