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Alex came racing in. “Mum, we’re camping at Konini Lodge up the
mountain. Can you come?” The mountain Alex is referring to is Mt
Egmont and one I had never tramped even though I live in New
Plymouth!
Visions of the last camp I attended flooded back;
sleeping in a hall with 60 children and 10 parents, exhausted
from spending the day in the sun doing activities on the beach,
and children still talking at 2am in the morning. One thing I
remember was being woken at 5am by voices, only to see two girls
playing cards with the dimmest of lighting from the kitchen.
“Not if I don’t need to go,” was my hasty reply.
But
as I put the necessary paperwork in saying Alex was allowed to
go, I thought about it and I decided to go too. Perhaps it was
the writer coming out in me, time to think outside the square
and push previous thoughts to the back of my mind.
For
those not familiar with Mt Egmont here is a bit of a history
lesson. Captain Cook named the mountain Mt Egmont
after John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, the First Lord of the
Admiralty.
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In
the 1980s it was ruled that its official name was Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont – there is still controversy
about which is its rightful name. For me it was a mountain,
which meant I was going to have to do a bit of tramping, great!
Do
you remember the list of gear your school gives you for your
child’s camp? Our gear list seemed small, but times it by two
and we had heaps. However, when climbing the mountain it is
best to be prepared. The weather can change rapidly and has
caught many inexperienced trampers unaware — some with fatal
consequences.
As
we approached the mountain it stood out in all its glory. It was
amazing to think we were 902 metres above sea level. Arriving at
the Visitors Centre we were greeted by a magnificent,
eight-metre carved pou whenua. I found out from Dave Rogers,
from DOC in Stratford, that Albert Tamati carved the statue in
2005.
Nightmares of the previous trip began to re-emerge as everybody
pitched in unpacking and beds were allocated. Thirty excited
children shouting and exploring and ten parents cringing from
the noise. There were four rooms each containing eight beds and
two rooms containing three beds. I was relieved when I found out
I was in one of the smaller rooms.
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Over the duration of the school camp we did a lot of tramping.
The first tramp, from the lodge to Waingongoro Hut, was
approximately five hours long and included a swing bridge. The
hut was built in 1986 and sits 30m above the river at an
altitude of 800m. It can sleep 16 people and is registered as
category 2 – Serviced Hut. The swing bridge was built in 1983 by
the NZ Forest Service. It is 27.4m across, the walking platform
is 21.7cm wide and it is 23.8m above the river. If you’re afraid
of heights, just do it is my advice!
Another worthwhile tramp is to the Wilkies Pools from the Dawson
Falls. The first European to see the Dawson Falls was Thomas
Dawson. He nearly fell over the 18m high falls when he was
exploring the Kapuni Stream leading to these falls; the falls
were named after him. There is, of course, local Maori legend
which tells how it was given its Maori name, Te Rere ‘O’ Noke. A
warrior running from his would-be killers hid behind the falls.
They ran past and he escaped to the coast. When others heard of
how he had escaped, they named the falls after him, ‘The Falls
of Noke’.
There is one thing about tramping with children that I feel I
should remark on. Getting children to use long-drops is a
challenge. Our group of children quickly lost the desire to go
to the toilet when they realised there was only a long-drop and
not a flushing toilet. There were many memorable times; one was
Mr Hoskins playing his guitar while the children sang and did
action songs. It was really beautiful to see. And, of course,
the 9.30pm night walk. The children were all told to find warm
clothes and a torch, then we were off, an hour-and-a-half of
children outside their comfort zone – priceless!
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If
you are thinking of doing this trip either with your school or
family here are some facts you should know.
You
can book for Konini Lodge at the North Egmont Visitors Centre.
It costs $10 per night for school age children, $20 for adults
and preschoolers are free.
You
can purchase a Hut Pass. This is an annual pass allowing you to
stay in all DOC huts within New Zealand except in the great
walks season. It costs $45 per child and $90 per
adult. Discounts are available for registered outdoor groups.
The
Hut Ticket system is based on categories. 1 = Fully serviced = 3
tickets; 2 = Serviced (firewood cut, etc) = 2 tickets; 3 =
Standard (bare minimum) = 1 ticket. Tickets cost $2.50 per
ticket per child and $5.00 per ticket per adult.
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