Mt. Taranaki

Finally, I have been able to upload some pics to share with you.
I will see how much I work I can't get done on my blog while I have this connection.

Mt. Taranaki

I have been trying to get pictures to upload since last night and I have finally given up, you'll just have to read this short entry. Here's what it looks like from above (HINT: on the map press the "-" button several times to zoom out. I have not figured out how get the proper zoom in Google Maps yet).

View Larger Map

Looks like a volcano, because it is a volcano.
So we hike up to one of the huts where you can stay for the night. We hiked from Dawson Falls to the Wang???????? Hut. It was the first hike for me with a full backpack, which was only the two sleeping bags and a few other things, Holly was responsible for carrying all the food. We needed to see if our old bodies would be able to carry this stuff without falling apart and I think that we did fine, even if the hike was less than two hours to the hut. The trail was very much a forest with quite a bit of elevation change. You could never see too much of anything except the trail you are on and you certainly could not see the volcanic peak, but it was really fabulous. So many types of ferns and pine trees and moss hanging off all the trees and little hobbit holes and all sorts of flora that I just don't know what all the plants were. The trails were not too busy, but we did pass several folks that were doing day hikes.
The hut was really nice and it had a great view of the mountain when it was not covered in clouds. The hut has a nice porch, a common area with a kitchen and heating stove and two bedrooms with bunk beds that could sleep 14 people. Once you get to the hut, there is not a lot to do except to enjoy the peaceful serenity of the mountain. We did share the hut with a couple that came in after we got there, we thought that we might have the place to ourselves for a while.
We got there early enough that we read and played cards and then took a hike further down the trail, this included a small one-person at a time bridge over a gorge with a small creek below, you are about 50 feet above the creek that is covered with all the flora I mentioned above. We just kept walking because you were never sure what was around the next turn in the trail, we made it back to the hut just a sunlight was fading.
I was able to get some pictures of the sunrise and a rainbow, it was difficult to get a good picture of the peak through the clouds, but I did get a couple.
We headed back to the car and then drove to Wellington.
Next stop the South Island, yeehaw!