The west coast is relatively flat except for the dramatic Mount Taranaki rising from the plains. This is the most picturesque volcano I have ever seen! After driving from the beaches in Waitomo, we planned to camp at one of the upper carparks half way up the mountain. We first drove up to the Dawson Falls carpark which turned out to be touristy and busy which we did not prefer. We turned around and went back down the mountain to try the next, Stratford Plateau. It was only 2 kilometers from the first yet we had to drive an hour down and back up the mountain to get to it. The site was much more secluded and just what we were looking for. We couldn’t see much because it was cloudy but hoped we would have a good view if the clouds lifted.

As night fell, we were not disappointed. The clouds vanished as the moon rose and the volcano came into view with a backdrop of stars. It was beautiful! We enjoyed the view until it got too cold to bear.

After a chilly night in the van, we woke to another beautiful view of the mountain as it pierced through the clouds. After I warmed up with a cup of coffee and Sara had her morning tea, it was time to hit the trails. The hike started off incredibly wet. The path was overgrown and all the ferns were covered in dew. Within minutes my pants and shoes were soaked… Why are we doing this? We kept going and eventually turned onto a more popular trail. The entire morning was spent winding through dense jungle, crossing deep gorges and making our way through the erie “goblin forest”.

Because we had parked at the higher campsite, all of our uphill hiking was at the end of the hike. We started hiking up and soon came across the Wilkies Pools. A Kiwi family that we had seen earlier in the day told us that the rocks acted as a natural waterside. I had to try it! After building up the courage to even touch the freezing water, I gave it a go. It was awesome! The ride was short and it dropped you into a pool of icy cold water but I still rode down three times.

The hike up to the campsite provided us with periodic views of the peak as it creeped out of clouds. A few rain showers passed and rainbows tried to appear. We decided to spend one last night on the mountain to relax and take in the beautiful views. The next day we would continue south with a plan to reach Wellington.