Pouakai Circuit + Syme Hut

Taranaki: Pouakai Circuit + Syme Hut

Date: Afternoon/Early As We Can Thursday 16 May to Sunday 19 May

Location: Mt Taranaki

Difficulty: Medium. 6-8 hour days, good quality track, mostly flat with a few steady climbs, Syme Hut is cold. Night hiking on an easy track might be needed.

Max People: 5, up to 8 if we can get a second car. Trip priority will go to drivers - please apply even if you only have a learners/restricted, we got people with full licences :)

Note: The trip may be adjusted as weather conditions allow. If we are unlucky with inclement weather, we will skip Syme Hut.

Costs: Huts are $25 per night, Syme is $10 per night + around $150ish in fuel split among your car + group dinners. Cheaper split for drivers and I'll shout you dinner on Thursday!

Bring: You must bring everything on the overnight tramp list, your own lunches and breakfasts, and plenty of snacks. Warm and waterproof layers are a must. Syme Hut varies between 3/-3C in May.

Itinerary

Day 0 - Thursday. Depart from the Hunter Carpark to make the 5 hour drive to the North Egmont Visitor Centre. We'll grab dinner at Stratford along the way (I'll shout you dinner if you're driving), and a quick detour to a black sand beach if time allows. We'll be walking 1 hour through the dark to the Maketawa Hut.

Day 1 - Friday. Depart from Maketawa Hut at dawn and head south along the Maunganui Track to the Southern Summit Route. We start the 4 hour ascent to the Syme Hut if conditions allow, If not, we'll explore the lower reaches and bag Waingongoro Hut, which is also our backup if we have to turn around due to the conditions.

Day 2 - Saturday. We'll head back towards the North Egmont Visitor Centre and take the Holly Hut track to the Pouakai Hut. If we're slow on this day, we might have to do a tiny bit of night hiking on a muddy track.

Day 3 - Sunday. We'll begin nice and early at Pouakai Hut and walk back to the cars along the Kaiauai Track. Then we'll head back to Wellington!

​