Egmont National Park: Around the Mountain Circuit (well, almost) - Part 2
Syme Hut on Fantham’s Peak at sunrise.
How to get to the start of the track
We started the circuit from the North Egmont Visitor Centre - there’s plenty of parking and you can pop into the visitor centre to get the latest weather and track info before you head off. The Pouakai Circuit also starts here. For all the info on Around The Mountain Circuit, visit the Department of Conservation (DoC) website.
My friend, Mark and I planned a six-day tramp around the mountain, staying at: Holly Hut, Kahui Hut, Waiaua Gorge Hut, Syme Hut and Waingongoro Hut. The AMC is a challenging tramp with various terrain and gut-busting elevation gain - please take your fitness into consideration when planning your tramp. There are also private lodges as alternatives if you don’t want to stay in DoC huts. This blog covers days 4 and 5 of our tramp.
Around The Mountain Circuit - Part 1
Day 4: Syme Hut via Brames Falls Track
(Approx. 10km, 14 hours - I know, WTF!)
As you can tell from the title, I ‘almost’ made it around the mountain. Day four was massive, bloody hell it was 14 hours! Even though we only covered about 10km, the elevation gain was more than what my body could handle. We’re talking 1,300m from Waiaua Gorge Hut to Syme Hut. So yeah, here’s a run down of the day.
Mark and I left the Waiaua Gorge Hut by 7am - there was enough light to start walking the bush track to the Brames Falls junction. The group of eight were heading to Kopuni Lodge, which is a private lodge downhill from the Fantham’s Peak junction. It was just as well because there wouldn’t have been any room at Syme Hut.
The group of four ladies also told us to keep an eye out for wasps. “You’ll know they’re there when they find you.” She wasn’t wrong. We were climbing a typical uphill scramble, the kind that was steep enough that I might as well have been climbing a ladder. I felt a sharp pain on the top of my head, and I’m pretty sure I dropped the F-bomb a few times too. I never climbed so fast in my life! Mark was right up behind me and once we got onto a flat section, we bolted. That was the first time I’ve been stung when out tramping.
There’s no fresh water source along Brames Falls track. If you need to fill up, I suggest getting it from the stream before you start climbing back up into the bush. Depending on your own water needs and walking pace, I recommend taking 3L of water with you.
After leaving the hut, you’re pretty much in the bush for a few hours. Most of the track is narrow and overgrown so it’s easy to trip over, and there are plenty of sections where there are very steep drop offs. It just made for a much slower trudge up to the giant spur. Mentally, I think we just wanted to see some blue sky above us - it was a glorious day and neither of us felt like being under the canopy that morning.
When we finally got out of the bush, I saw that we had pretty decent reception, so I decided to give my Mum a quick video call. It was a great spot to soak up the views and prepare myself for the spur in front of us. It was less than a kilometre with a 200m elevation. The track was pretty eroded with plenty of muddy sections, and sometimes it would even split in two, where you could tell other trampers trying to avoid it.
It was exhausting walking along the narrow and rocky Brames Falls track.
After the spur came a different kind of tramping - this section had a lot of large rocks, boulders and even some dodgy windfall that I’m not quite sure how it continues to defy gravity. I remember one time we had to climb a boulder that was almost my height - it had moss and was wet from the trickle of water coming down from the rockface. Mark was able to get his leg high enough that he could pull himself over, but fatigue was setting in so I looked around for another way. There was thick bush to the left, and the track dropped off steeply to more bush on the right. Luckily, I spotted a rock I could use as a step and a tree root that was strong enough to pull me and my pack over.
Another tramper took this great photo of Mark and I when we stopped for a break along the tussock traverse.
It was early afternoon by the time we got to the tussock traverse. We hadn’t stopped for lunch, and it was nice to sit in the sun for a while. Half of the group of eight from the hut were there too, waiting for the rest of their group. We had a great chat with them and found out they had a Mark in their group too, who was also from Auckland. He was nice enough to take this cool photo of Mark and I during the break.
We got to the start of the scree section of Fantham’s Peak track after 5pm, and I knew we would be climbing in the dark. I was already running near empty at this point. What was in our favour was the full moon and the weather - there was hardly any wind that night, nothing like the wind we experienced the next day. There were times I would sit down on a rock, exhausted, then look up at the full moon and think to myself, “This will either break me, or make me, but geez, how beautiful is that moon?” After each break, I would get up and walk a bit more.
Mark was always a few metres ahead of me, scouting for the pole markers. About halfway up he decided that he would leave his pack and carry mine until we got to the hut. Best decision ever. It didn’t feel like I was moving much faster, but eventually we saw the hut in the distance. Everyone was already sleeping - there were people in the bunks, on the wooden benches, on the floor. I grabbed my sleeping bag and found a spot on the floor. Mark followed about an hour later.
Day 5: Syme Hut to Dawson Falls Visitor Centre (approx. 4km, 3 hours)
It was just before 6am when people started waking up. Silhouettes from the night before suddenly became faces - the guy who was sleeping next to me became legs standing by the bench heating water. I could hear boots near my head so I knew it was time to get up. Oh that’s right, it will be sunrise soon. Get up woman!
“Sandals aye, you’re brave!” Said the cute guy with the beard. “My boots are soaked, I think my toes will freeze less in dry socks.” We both laughed.
Quite the sunrise aye, best birthday present ever.
There’s something about watching the sunrise from the mountains that brings out the kid in everyone. The hut looked even more packed at breakfast - we counted 18 people in a 10-bunk hut. Apparently the record is 24. We had a great time chatting to the other trampers - there was the family of five who immigrated from the USA and settled in New Plymouth, a brother (cute guy with the beard) and sister and lots of couples. We also caught up with Erica (from Tahurangi Lodge) and her partner.
We could hear the wind start to pick up, and I think everyone knew it was probably a good idea to start heading down in case it got worse. Mark and I were one of the last to leave, and even though the wind gusts did make it slow going on the scree, we eventually made it safely back to the steps. We met a few day trampers on their way up.
Scree on the way down from Fantham’s Peak.
It was somewhere along the steps down to the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre that I knew I had to tap out. My body was exhausted, I was starting to get clumsy, a bit of brain fog was setting in, and my body was screaming for real food. I think Mark knew it was coming, and I encouraged him to keep going after the visitor centre. He stayed at Waingongoro Hut as planned, and walked out at North Egmont the next day. I booked a room in New Plymouth and relished my first hot shower in almost a week. As Mark ate another dinner of dehydrated food on day five, I cheekily sent him a photo of my meal at Burgerfuel.
I didn’t quite make it around the mountain this time round, but I am happy with my effort. I woke up on a mountain and watched a glorious sunrise for my birthday. It’s good to know that I can push my body like that, but also know when it’s time to turn back. Thanks for the memories Mt Taranaki, I hope to see you again soon.
The steps on the way down to the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre.
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Whakatāne, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.
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