Pouakai Circuit – a day walk
A nighttime hiking loop trip around the Pouakai Circuit, Egmont National Park
Pouakai Circuit 🌜
a day walk
Itinerary
- Leave work at the start of lunch break 12 noon on Thursday
- Drive to North Egmont with the usual pie and coffee stops
- Start up the North Egmont Summit Track at 6 pm
- Enjoy the last of the sunset, and the lights of New Plymouth below
- Follow the easy track to Holly Hut
- For 45 minutes enjoy the company of two tourists who had the woodburner warming the hut
- Back outside to a heavy frost
- Enjoy the super easy boardwalk through Ahukawakawa swamp
- And the continuation of the boardwalk along to the Pouakai Tarns
- Arrive at the tarns at midnight
- Enjoy the view of a snow-capped Taranaki maunga in the moonlight
- Then along to Henry Peak – and the tricky descent of the ice-covered boardwalk
- Follow the track through the bush and up the last 2 km of road back to North Egmont arriving at 6 am
- Have an hour’s sleep under the nearest tree
- Drive back to Wellington
- Arrive at the office at the end of lunch break 1 pm Friday before the boss notices you have been missing
- At 5 pm crawl under your desk and fall asleep.
Another Pouakai Circuit daywalk at Taranaki East Ridge – plus bonus Pouakai Circuit.