We did it – we actually climbed the entire volcano,
despite the fact that it took us about two hours to
climb up and a third hour to come down – it was around 6 miles round trip. We started to hike up the vehicle road, which is wide and basically packed gravel. The base of the mountain is grazing land littered with huge boulders (spewed from the last eruption?) and sheep are kept on the land, to provide a fire-prevention zone. There were a few very cute baby sheep who haven’t yet been shorn, and lots of parent sheep who are already in their summer coats.
Hike hike hike, up up up,
through the grazing area and then into the forest, with giant ponga (tree
ferns), evergreens, and indigenous trees.
Tons of birds, especially the indigo blue tui with white chevron stripes
on the shoulder of each wing – lots of bird calls, and flittering wings all
around. Stupendous views of the
bay and the harbour, because we were ascending on the southwest side of the
volcano. Up the road, then up the
gravelly stairs, and we were there, up on the summit, with 360 degree 
views –
gorgeous, amazing, stunning!!!!!
We couldn’t find a crater or anything, but I supposed over time the
original caldera would be filled in.
I believe the last eruption is estimated to have been about 1200 years
ago, so that might be why the summit was a large open area instead of a dent or
hole.
views –
gorgeous, amazing, stunning!!!!!
We couldn’t find a crater or anything, but I supposed over time the
original caldera would be filled in.
I believe the last eruption is estimated to have been about 1200 years
ago, so that might be why the summit was a large open area instead of a dent or
hole.
At any rate, we wandered
around admiring the various views (and the tombolo really is a faux tombolo),
the length of the beach on the ocean side, watching freighters come in, and
just enjoying being on top of the 
volcano. This was a Maori pa, a settlement or fortification, and the
mountain still belongs to the Maori people, as does a neighboring island in the
inner harbour. (There was a layer
of shell in the ground, maybe two inches under the top layer of soil – I’m
guessing the Maori created sort of a midden by tossing clam shells down the
hill from wherever they were living.)
volcano. This was a Maori pa, a settlement or fortification, and the
mountain still belongs to the Maori people, as does a neighboring island in the
inner harbour. (There was a layer
of shell in the ground, maybe two inches under the top layer of soil – I’m
guessing the Maori created sort of a midden by tossing clam shells down the
hill from wherever they were living.)
And then it was time to head
back down. Somehow we ended up on
a different track that took us round the other side of the 
mountain, meaning
the side facing the ocean. And
instead of having numerous switchbacks the way the other trail did, we seemed
to circle round and round the mountain, on a narrow gravel path, which were on
narrow ledges and sheer cliffs and the occasional overhanging cliffs and
protruding boulders overhead. Plus
we were still walking on tiny gravel covered packed earth, so there was the
occasional skid from one or the other of us. I don’t really know how to explain it, other than to say
that you need to remember that scene in 
“North by Northwest” – Cary Grant and
Eva St. James are trying to get away from the villains by running around the
presidential faces on Mt. Rushmore – there are drops and cliffs and barely
enough room for their feet – that’s what the hike down was like, with strong ocean
winds swirling around us. It was
one of the hairier hikes I’ve been on, the kind where the vertigo kicks in and
the occasional panic attack, mixed in with “Why couldn’t I have been born a
bird?” and “We climbed this volcano why???”
mountain, meaning
the side facing the ocean. And
instead of having numerous switchbacks the way the other trail did, we seemed
to circle round and round the mountain, on a narrow gravel path, which were on
narrow ledges and sheer cliffs and the occasional overhanging cliffs and
protruding boulders overhead. Plus
we were still walking on tiny gravel covered packed earth, so there was the
occasional skid from one or the other of us. I don’t really know how to explain it, other than to say
that you need to remember that scene in 
“North by Northwest” – Cary Grant and
Eva St. James are trying to get away from the villains by running around the
presidential faces on Mt. Rushmore – there are drops and cliffs and barely
enough room for their feet – that’s what the hike down was like, with strong ocean
winds swirling around us. It was
one of the hairier hikes I’ve been on, the kind where the vertigo kicks in and
the occasional panic attack, mixed in with “Why couldn’t I have been born a
bird?” and “We climbed this volcano why???”
Somehow we made it down the
narrow ledges and cliffs and into the grazing pastures again, and we walked
down the rest of the volcano. And
rewarded ourselves with some gelato, for quick energy and a cool down. And a more relaxing afternoon.
Because we were freedom
camping, and didn’t drive much the previous day, we noticed that our internal
power meter was down in the danger zone.
Despite periodically running the engine, the charge just wasn’t holding. A quick call to the rental company
reconfirmed the fact that yes, we just didn’t drive around enough – so we’re
currently in the holiday park at the base of volcano Mount Maunganui, with
electricity and nearby showers, and cute bunny families hopping around.
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