Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay and Tongariro - Middle Earth Meander - New Zealand 2016 - February 2016

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I knew that there was a bit of extra trail leading along the crater rim to a section of more open rocks and bigger views, but what views would there be on such a day? We waited around for a few minutes, quickly cooling off in the moist wind that blew out here in the open. No signs of any sort of clearing at this point pretty much sapped our desire to hang around. Clearing could come in 15 minutes, or it could come in two hours. We decided to head down and get back to the house for a not-too-late dinner instead.

Aided by gravity and a lack of views, our descent back down the Tauhara track was extremely rapid, and in about forty minutes we were back at the top of the open farmland, with only a few more hundred metres of trail before reaching the van.

Old Storage Barrels

Farmland Below

courtesy CDoucet

Taupo Panorama

As the fates would have it, the skies started to break up as we crossed the farm, and by the time we were nearing the van, sun was shining on us, and the summit behind us was starting to come into view. A one-hour wait would have worked for us in this particular case. Ah, hindsight - always 20-20.

Back on farm

Great Lake Taupo

Shoo Moo

Dammit

Sunny Descent

So, the Mt Tauhara track had indeed been worth it - even in the clouds. On a clear day (especially early in the morning or late in the evening), it would make a supremely scenic three-hour outing.

Interactive trackmap with photo points - Mt Tauhara - click map to view

Interactive trackmap with photo points - Mt Tauhara - click to view

Hike Data - Mt Tauhara Track

Start Time: 2:36p.m.

End Time: 5:15p.m.

Duration: 2h39m

Distance: 6.1 km (3.79 mi)

Average Speed: 2.3 km/hr (1.4 mph)

Start Elevation: 1819ft (554m) *

Max Elevation: 3562ft (1086m) *

Min Elevation: 1814ft (553m) *

End Elevation: 1840ft (561m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 1719ft (524m) *

Total Elevation Loss: 1680ft (512m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Elevation Graph

We returned home from our Tauhara hike to the sizzle of the barbeque, where Andy, Andrea, and Lori had already begun preparations for yet another excellent home-cooked dinner. Afterwards, we took a short after-dinner evening stroll along the nearby shore of Lake Taupo.