Mt Taranaki from Waiaua Gorge, with Fanthams Peak visible on the right
Friday saw us scramble over the alpine route to Waiaua Gorge, and again the visibility was pretty crappy, although we got a good view of the volcano in the morning before the clouds came in. Saturday was much the same, wandering around through alpine scrub and rainforest to Holly Hut. The track was probably the most physically demanding track I'd yet done, with climbs and descents of about 1000m every day, and by the time we reached the huts we were totally knackered, even more so than on the Pyke Loop; I find I can walk for miles and miles on the flat, but put a hill in front of me, and watch me squirm.
Saturday evening was fun, though, with a large Kiwi family taking up half the hut and entertaining us with tramping stories and wee drams of whisky, the generous sorts. The Christmas pud and custard they gave us went down a treat, too; needless to say the family was only on a one-night trip, something that was more and more apparent as they unpacked sausages, potatoes, vegetables, bottles of wine and all the other delights that you take for granted in the outside world, but which suddenly become perishable and heavy on the track.
