Pouakai Circuit, Egmont National Park
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Getting there New Plymouth Pouakai ¥3A Oakura ¥3 Circuit Egmont ad Village d Ro Inglewood Nga hīkoi o Mounga Taranaki oa R ¥45 Egmont National Park Okato ington ei Do rr oad Ca R ve C r angor O R nt D oad M : o mo t o Eg h P . ¥ s 3 n ar i T ka Pouakai ua North Egmont/ Po Circuit Waiwhakaiho Egmont National Park Further information Plan and prepare For park information, hut tickets and Konini Lodge bookings: It is important to plan and prepareKapong youra trip and be well equipped. Before you go, know the Outdoor Safety Code – 5Elth simpleam rules to Taranaki / Egmont National Dawson Falls Visitor Centre Opunake Park Visitor Centre (North Egmont) (Limited opening hours—check help you stay safe: oad R (Open daily) DOC’s website) 1. Plan your trip: Take a map/track brochurea and remember to Egmont Road Manaia Road buy hut tickets for overnight stays.anai ¥3 Inglewood Kaponga M Phone: (06) 756 0990 2. Tell someone responsible where you are going and your Phone 027 443 0248 Manaia ¥45 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] estimated return time. See www.adventuresmart.org.nz.Hawera 3. Be aware of the weather: Check weather forecasts before you go on 0900 999 24 or www.metservice.com. CK Check, Clean, Dry E H C Stop the spread of didymo and other 4. Know your limits L C E freshwater pests. A Y and consider taking a personal locator N 5. Take sufficient supplies R beacon - available for hire from Taranaki / Egmont National Park D Remember to Check, Clean, Dry all items Visitor Centre (North Egmont). before entering, and when moving BETWEEN WATERWAYS between, waterways. Weather on the mountain changes rapidly. You must be well prepared with suitable clothing and equipment for all weather Published by: Cover photo: Tramper crossing the and conditions. Snow, high rainfall and storm damage can make Department of Conservation Ahukawakawa Swamp on the Pouakai Circuit, Egmont National Park. tracks impassable – many rivers and streams are unbridged. Check Ngāmotu / New Plymouth Office Photo: K Davies. with visitor centres for up-to-date track information PO Box 462 New Plymouth 4320 New Zealand www.doc.govt.nz Your safety is your responsibility June 2014 Editing and design: Publishing Team, DOC National Office Dogs This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests. Dogs and other pets are not allowed in Egmont National Park, even inside vehicles. 9 421005 172386 > Pouakai Hut to North Egmont (5–7hr, 13 km) Welcome Return uphill to the Pouakai Track junction and turn left to Ahukawakawa Swamp—a special place Nei rā te mihi atu ki ā koutou i raro i te korowai traverse open tussock lands, passing the scenic alpine The mighty Ahukawakawa Swamp formed tarns (lakes) before skirting around Maude Peak. around 3500 years ago. This unique ō tō tātou nei tauheke a Taranaki. microclimate is home to many The track then climbs Henry Peak (1220 m) before plant species, some unusual at Greetings to everyone who sits under the cloak descending Kaiauai Track to the Kai Auahi N e this altitude, and others found of our ancestor Mounga Taranaki. Stream. A small shelter on the true left riverbank w Z nowhere else in the world. e is a good spot to wait for floodwaters to drop a l a n Sedges, sphagnum moss, The Pouakai Circuit before attempting a crossing if the river is high. d f a lc herbs, mosses and red tussock o M Egmont National Park’s premier 2–3 day tramp offers spectacular From here, the track continues through lowland n e /k ly ā are common here, along with small c r it forest, crossing several small streams before ea us views of Mt Taranaki and the surrounding countryside. The 25 km re . D a C orchids and flowering plants. The ru m DO ce track passes through forest, alpine tussock fields and the unique reaching the swingbridge across the Waiwhakaiho igh to: i. P t be seen. Pho unique divaricating shrub Melicytus drucei is hoto: DOC. River. A short climb leads up to the Ram Track junction. Ahukawakawa Swamp. found only here and on the Pouakai Range. The quickest return to the visitor centre from here is via the road. Beginning at Taranaki / Egmont National Park Visitor Centre (North Egmont), the track can be walked in either direction. Two serviced backcountry huts with woodburners, toilets, water, bunks and Mt Taranaki or Mt Egmont 2518m mattresses provide overnight accommodation. North Egmont to Holly Hut (3–4 hr, 7.5 km) The Holly Hut Track climbs through montane forest and subalpine scrub, passing the turnoff to the Plateau. Walk beneath the towering to lava columns of the Dieffenbach Cliffs and cross the Boomerang Slip. Stratford Plateau (1hr) Warning Boomerang Once past the Kokowai Track turnoff, the track gradually descends This map is not Tahurangi Lodge Slip St (private) ony R to the Ahukawakawa Track junction. Turn left for a 5 minute walk to k iver to scale and is not c M /Ha a i nga b H na tahu solar powered Holly Hut (32 bunks). Minarapa Stream just prior to r olly r Holly a suitable for navigation. o Hu ap The Dome/ z t T a Maketawa a rac Str the hut can be impassable after heavy rain. It is recommended R k ea Hut (32) Te Umu o Taomanawa Western North Hut (16) e m Th that park users refer k From the hut, a 30 minute (one way) side trip along the Island brown kiwi c ra Bell Falls/ may be heard to the NZ Topo50 map T Veronica i Bells Falls track will take you to the towering Bells Falls/ a Ah Te Rere o Tahurangi to calling at night w uka Mt Taranaki or Mt Loop Track o wak Pouakai Trig around Holly Hut. ok awa T Te Rere o Tahurangi (31 m). Egmont BJ29. K rack Photo: Ngā Manu Camphouse Images. NORTH EGMONT/ (Bookings required) Ahukawakawa Holly Hut to Pouakai Hut (2–3 hr, 4.5 km) swamp k Hump WAIWHAKAIHO c Return to the Ahukawakawa Track junction and follow the a r 946m T boardwalk across Ahukawakawa Swamp. After crossing the m a R m a Pouakai headwaters of the Stony River/Hangatahua, the track ascends a e Kaiauai tr i S Hut (16) ridge through mountain cedar to reach the Pouakai Track. a Poua Carpark ow kai T ok Henry Peak rack Tarns Turn left here to take a 1 hr 30 min (return) detour to Pouakai P K 1224m Mangorei Track (to Mangorei Rd 2hrs) Trig (1440 m). Maude Peak Kaiauai 1220m Turn right to follow Pouakai Track on to the Mangorei Shelter Track junction. Pouakai Hut (16 bunks) is a 5 minute K walk down the Mangorei Track. ai r au Egmont Rd to e ai . v Track m i a The Mangorei Track is a good exit from the circuit if C Egmont Village R e r O o t h S D i i A : a weather conditions are bad (allow 2 hr to Mangorei k h n o t a a h e o iw u hut private hut n h A Road end). a d P W i e . a Pouakai Circuit m e K g shelter visitor centre ic n g a other tracks ia i R N Tramping Track: Mostly unformed but has nt a P car park la ak nd ou track directional markers, poles or cairns. sn e P ail found on th.