Walks #165-167, 20th March 2025
There are four short walks around the North Egmont Visitor Centre.
The Nature Walk led on to the Ngatoro Loop Walk, a walk through sub-montane forest called “the Goblin Forest.” The ferns and mosses flourish because of the high rainfall.
Just behind the Visitor Centre is a historic camphouse, which was originally a military barracks during the land wars in the 1860s. It was moved to the site in the 1880s.
After lunch we did the Veronica Loop Track.
Before going uphill we passed the Ambury memorial, a memorial to climber Arthur Ambury who gave his life in 1918 in a heroic attempt to save his climbing partner.
The Veronica Loop track is a well-formed track. It goes up the mountain for half an hour and then there’s a junction for Holly Hut. The return walk via the loop track is harder.
Holly Hut Lookout
At the junction of the Holly Hut track, there’s a lookout ten minutes further up the mountain. We chose not to do it because of the lack of visibility.
There were no birds to be heard on either track, the forests were silent.
The trees are sub-alpine Totara (the red bark) and Kamahi. The trees with spiky fronds are Cabbage trees, the Maori call them ‘Toi.’
Walk: Taranaki 9
History
Te Kāhui Maunga, the ancient people of the mountains
The earliest ancestors of the Taranaki people were Te Kāhui Maunga – the people of the mountains.
Mt Taranaki was named after Rua Taranaki, the first in a line of chiefs.
Related Walks
Links
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