Tag: Ngapurua

25. Ngapurua – Puketotara – Tieke Kainga (TMM 5) – Pipiriki (Jetboat)

Tuesday, March 5: Cloud and fog to begin with becoming hot & sunny

Tramping: 11.8 km

Whanganui River Adventures, Pipiriki Campground 2522 Pipiriki Raetihi Road, Pipiriki 4576 (shared cabin, $25)

Sleep was very interrupted last night; the camera switched itself off when the battery was low and I hauled it inside; even so it took a while to get to sleep.

But I was up pretty much on the dot of 7:00, and everything packed away quickly so that I could get on the go by 8:40. Tried capturing the kilometre posts and I knew I was doing about 4 km/h. The crash site of a Vampire jet plane which remained lost for many a year was passed. The Caves were well signed and I thought that a detour would be admissible, and saw and photographed one cave with stalactites. Track condition was variable, but there were a few more markers today. One big new slip even had danger signs on it and was taped off, but by this time no more kilometre posts could be found. Read more…

24. Omaru – Ngapurua (TMM 4)

Monday, March 4: Hot & sunny

Tramping: 20.4 km

Ngapurua Hut (Doc, $15)

Couldn’t seem to get much sleep last night, and the sleeping bag was always too warm – even after it got down to about 10° I was still outside the bag and only got in because it was beginning to feel a bit cold. Must have had a lot of heat to dump.

Accordingly I was up a little later @ 7:30, but soon had had breakfast and everything was packed away: The volume is slowly but surely decreasing. I was ready to go by 9:30 and set an aim of 11:30 to do the Mt Humphries summit. There was a further route signposted along the way but it is no longer on any map. Got to the turnoff just a little late, had a break of a single muesli bar and then pushed on to the next hut (Pouri) for a lunch break proper and was rewarded by a spectacular panorama of the central volcanoes which I shot as a fivefold ±⅓ bracketed pan with pol filter. The view of Ruapehu was astonishing. Then it was back on the track. Read more…

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