Mt Taranaki [Egmont] (2,518m) / Fanthams Peak (1,966m)

Mt Taranaki

This is the highest and hardest climb to date, done with my best friend and well worth the effort.  We started at the Stratford Plateau and made our way around the mountain, up to the skifield and then continued over on the around the mountain track to Tahurangi Lodge.  This then joins up with the northern route up to the summit.  After a well earned break we heading up the stepped route toward the north ridge.  Here it got progressively harder. The steps eventually give out and we started the long climb up the scoria slopes.  There were heaps of people heading down from the summit so we knew we were heading in the right direction. There were also poles to follow along the way.  Views of the top periodically came into view and then would promptly disappear into cloud again.  After a lot of heavy slogging we reach a more rocky surface known as "the lizard"  which was much easier to climb than the sliding scoria.  At this point it seems like you are almost there, but it only "seems" that way.  There are more rocks to climb but eventually we made our way through the narrow gap in the rocks and over the crater lip. 

Rock spire known as "Shark's Tooth from the crater floor

Dropping into the crater we traversed the crater floor (covered in ice and snow all year round) and headed for the summit rocks and another rocky spire known as "the sharks tooth".  Just below the summit rocks is the south crater wall, our exit point. After taking more photos and getting our bearings we Climbed over the crater wall and headed down towards Fanthams Peak, our overnight destination (Syme Hut) and of course my next peak to bag. Unfortunately views from up here were completely obscured by cloud but the climb up was still well the effort and satisfaction of bagging NZ's North Island's second highest mountain.

Fanthams Peak (on left) from summit track

The descent down to Fanthams Peak was both exihirating and scary as daylight hours were getting scarce and the rocks on the  south side of the crater wall as we headed over it were already starting to ice up.  Once on the scoria slope we heading down at a relatively steady pace with some interesting points where the scoria was very thin with next to no traction.  But eventually we reached the area known as the Rangitoto Flats and looked on at the brief but steep ascent ahead of us to reach the hut on the top of Fanthams Peak.  Upon reaching the hut we dumped the packs we had dragged up the mountain with us and could finally relax and appreciate the beauty and majesty of where we were.  Needless to say as the sun went down and we crashed for the night we slept very soundly indeed.

Sunrise looking east to Mt Ruapehu

We woke in the morning just in time to watch and photograph the sunrise silhouetting Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro in the Eastern skyline, a sight well worth getting up early for.  After breakfast and getting some great photos (no clouds this morning) of the coastline and surrounding farmland, we started the descent down to Dawson Falls where our ride awaited us.

View from Fanthams Peak towards the coast

This trip was my biggest so far in my peak bagging year and combined two peaks in the one trip, a bonus well worth the effort.  Now we head home to get some well earned rest before the next one...watch this space...