Conquering Mount Taranaki

Upon receiving notification of my posting to New Plymouth, I googled and Wikipedia-ed my future place of abode to have an understanding of what to do in the region.

Mount Taranaki, from a distance

The most prominent landmark, without a doubt, would be Mount Taranaki, a 2,518m high volcano towering over the entire region, and in my mind, I was sure I would conquer this mountain, regardless of difficulty.

I'd done quite a bit of hiking in Norway back around 200-2009, and in Asia, I climbed Mount Ophir and Kota Kinabalu in 2012. Mentally, I knew that I would be able to do it in my current state of fitness, but the actual effort exerted was beyond my imagination.

The Puffer

The trek started with a loose concrete path known as the Puffer, which took about an hour to complete. This brought us to the only public toilet before the remainder of the treacherous journey. Close by the toilet was an antenna station as well as a lodge for hikers. Apparently its called the Puffer due to the way you end up puffing for breath after the route's completion.


The Lizard

After the Puffer, the route appeared more straightforward as the Mountain was clearly in sight (though quite a distance away). It was still around 0700hrs in the morning and the sun was just rising above the horizon. As we moved to the next section, known as the Lizard, mist and cloud started to form around the mountain. Looking downwards the ground was beginning to be shrouded in mist, but the peak ahead remained a clear objective to be conquered.

The challenging terrain of loose rocks throughout The Lizard

The terrain was difficult to manage. It consisted of rocks of varying sizes, often giving way under my weight. I had to use my hands for support for a large part of this section, as each step upwards resulted in a half step slide downwards. I tried to step on larger rocks for support, only for them to sink inwards, disrupting my balance. I was struggling, and decided to fall behind the pack, retracing the steps taken by my hiking mates, knowing that these footprints would have borne the weight of others before me and hence, more stable to support my weight.

I also learnt that an old sports injury would finally affect my hiking performance. My right ankle felt weak, and incapable of adapting to the sinking rocks with each climbing step. This slowed my progress considerably, as every step upwards with my right leg would be about half the height achieved with my left.

Reaching the Peak

Closer to the peak, the loose rocks became more firm, and I was using quite a bit of upper body strength to pull myself upwards on the large steps, almost like rock climbing, without a harness.

The crater was filled with snow and ice, where every step taken would require a hand for support to prevent slipping on the ice. This descending down the crater and climbing to the peak took about forty minutes.


Looking down the crater

I was exhausted when I reached the top. I was the last in the group to arrive, probably a good 20 minutes after the first in our party. I was in survival mode. I was more concerned about hydrating, consuming some food, and keeping warm. It was probably a good 15 minutes when I popped out my camera to take pictures and a video of the surroundings. After which I fished out a bottle of Asahi to reward myself for the effort.


Standing on the peak - frowned upon by the Maori

Descending

Going down the mountain took around 3.5hrs, which I felt was a lot less stressful than going up, contrary to what many other climbers experience on this hike. There was lots of stress on the knees and quadriceps, and thankfully, I was better able to cope with that stress than to rest my weight on my right ankle during the ascent. At times going down the loose rocks reminded me of skiing, and I knew that I would be able to skip and slide down the slopes if I'd a stronger right ankle.



Lush valleys at the base of the mountain

Back at the carpark, we stripped down to dry clothing, and had another beer to celebrate a hike well done.

Many thanks to Marco (Italy), Tugdual (France), Nataliya (Ecuador), Kewen (Singapore Kiwi), Arnold (Dutch), and Arnan (India?) for organizing, motivating and making this a fun and memorable journey.

Lessons learnt

- Slow and steady gets you there. It's not a race
- It's not important if you take the left or right route, as long as you are heading up
- Plan better - at the end of my hike, I still had 4 apples, a box full of chocolate peanut energy bars, and 2 litres of isotonic drink. That amounted to around 3.5kg of extra weight carried for 7.5hrs
- Pack ALL equipment the night before. I was sure I did that, but somehow left my jacket hanging by the door on the way out. Thankfully it turned out a blessing in disguise - my fleece and raincoat were adequate
- Another successful trek with SAF boots
 

Exploring the White Cliffs Walkway

It was Easter Sunday, and I managed to convince my 2 colleagues Don and Darren to make a trip down to the Whitecliffs Walkway in Urenui, about 45 minutes drive from New Plymouth city centre.
I had picked Darren up after Sunday mass to have lunch at Don's place, and over the course of the meal, I managed to convince Marco and Sarah, 2 great people I've befriended in the month or so here, to join us on the trip to Whitecliffs.




Marco, Sarah and myself. Note my inappropriate attire

Based on online resources, my impression of the walkway was a simple to long hike, which included walking along the beach when the tide was low. What I experienced was waaaaaay beyond my expectations.

The first half was straightforward as what I read online - a gentle upslope through privately owned farm estates. As expected, along the way were cows, sheep, cow dung, strong winds, possum traps, wild grasses and flowers, the raging Tasman Sea, periods of bright sunshine, and sudden downpours.
 
Don and Darren had returned back to the car before the halfway point, and it was just Sarah, Marco and myself to complete the loop. We were contemplating heading back the way we started, but were persuaded by a Kiwi family to continue onward with the path, onto the beach and take the flat and scenic route back to the car. After all, I was thinking that Don and Darren were already tired of waiting for us, and the quickest route would be the best option.

True enough, it took just 20 minutes to get down the hill to the beach. However, the tide had not receded according to schedule. The beach was not to be seen, as waves continued to crash against the sheer cliff walls.

 
Sarah and the Kiwi family thought we could avoid getting drenched if we ran ahead each time the waves receded. Marco agreed. I had no choice but to follow. I packed my muddy leather loafers into a plastic bag and placed them into my splash proof camera bag. This, on hindsight, would be my biggest boo boo in a long time.


"We can make it if we just make a run when the waves recede!"

Barefoot, with both my mobile phones and camera in a splash-proof bag, I followed my fellow hikers along the beach as fast as I could, which wasn't fast at all. I lost my footing several times under the slippery uneven surface.

I was in a horrible state. I was drenched and off balance. I feared for my possessions. My watch bracelet had unlatched itself on my left hand. In my right hand, my all-weather camera, and the waves were smothering my camera bag. I tried to stay close to the cliff thinking that the ground would be more firm, but the waist-high waves crashed against the wall and rebounded onto my face and further drenching my camera bag.

The terror lasted about 15 minutes. Thankfully the tide did recede, and the beach cleared up revealing a gorgeous stretch of glossy black sand. We hustled back to the start point (boat drop-off point), taking some pictures and picking souvenirs along the way.

No point crying over wet equipment...

Sarah told me later on she thought we'd be in the next day's papers for a drowned Singaporean at Whitecliffs walkway. I checked my belongings. Both my iPhone 5S and my HTC One mobile phones were drowned. My DSLR would not turn on. My zoom lens had water within the lenses. Hopefully 'll be able to claim insurance on the damaged items.


Age has caught up with me. In the past 5 years, I've put on weight, spent more energy on building a career, and I think more importantly, stopped pushing my body to its physical limits.

Time to get back in shape, and New Zealand has all the right elements to make that happen.


Whitecliffs Walkway

Lessons learnt:
The Tasman Sea is not as salty as Asian waters
Be prepared for all weather conditions
 

Moving to New Plymouth, New Zealand

5 March 2014.

The date I arrived to New Plymouth for my assignment as a Finance & Admin Manager for my employer's New Zealand office.

I've taken an approximately 15% net pay increase to relocate to one of the more remote placecs of the Earth, to leave my family, friends and Ben's Den, in the name of career progression. Personally I think its a crap deal financially, but I'll try to take things positively and see where this assignment takes me on an experiential basis.

 

 I'm writing this one month plus into the assignment now, and here are some points I'd mention (good,  bad and neutral).

- I stay in a 2 bedroom house with a deck with a seaview, which is larger than Ben's Den. Being a rental property, it lacks the character of my apartment in Singapore. My company pays less rent than what I am charging for Ben's Den in Singapore.

My outdoor "dick"

- I now drive a Ford Focus, which is serving me a lot better than my second hand Fiat in Singapore

- It's windy over here! Temperature is cool between the teens to low twenties, and frequently switching between rain and shine is not uncommon.

- The city centre is quiet on most evenings, and locals usually hit the clubs after 11pm on weekends. The latest nightspot closes at 3am.

- There are quite a number of Asian eateries here, but the food does not taste the same as back in Asia. Not disgusting, but just not as good.

- There is one mall in the city centre the size of I12 Katong Mall in Singapore. Specialty shops are further away (located in the Valley). New Plymouth (or New Zealand generally) is not known as a  shopping heaven.

- I've registered as a member of Peringa Football Club, and training twice a week now in a bid to improve on my fitness. I'm eligble to play for their games on weekends in the Taranaki Premier Division, but I think I'll work on my fitness first before risking limb and life for this club.

- I've bought a mountain bike, and it has abused me (cycling in the Redwoods of Rotorua).

- Kiwis tend to pronounce their "e"s like "i"s. So my name is often called as "Bin", and people like to have barbecues outside on their "dicks"

It's been quite an adventrue settling in and feeling my way around. It is a small town vibe, but at the same time it does not lack anything. There are amazing beaches along the coast line, and the natural landscape around the region is breathtaking.

I will continue to post memorable travel experiences as they arrive.

The old chimney with Mt Peritutu on the left