Taraponui, Wednesday 1 April 2026
Banner Photo: Heading up to the Taraponui tower
The long range forecast was for fine weather, but low cloud and mist had arrived instead. Mild temperatures and lack of wind made up for that. A full vanload of 12 trampers headed to the car park where the track up to Bell Rock begins. We had approval from the owners of Toronui Station and the farm manager to cross their land, so an approach from the south side was possible.
The Bell Rock track
Starting at 9am, the walk up through the bush here was a delight, as always. Birds chirping, paper-thin bark peeling from the fuchsias and some very big, huggable trees; but it was damp and a bit slippery. Only one weta box is there now… what happened to the other two? And no wetas were in residence.
The impressive rock formations
We crossed the stile and onto wet grass, following overnight rain. Tony opted to take his time and return down the ridgeline track to the van for a quieter day, while the rest carried on to Bell Rock for a short break and photos; there were no real views much beyond the impressive rock formations.
Heading in a south-westerly direction now, we ambled along the open tops up, down and around about, with a few fence crossings and some scattered remnant bush until we joined up with the 4WD road leading up to Taraponui and its communication towers. At places where we were closer to the escarpment edge, loud mooing from the cattle below on the northern side could be heard in the relative stillness.
At the tower, in misty conditions
Having predicted that we would arrive at the peak ‘by lunchtime’, we reached it at exactly 12 noon, so a good effort from everyone. At 1308m, Taraponui can be very cold and windy but the views are often sensational. Unfortunately, not today; the mist completely enveloped us, which was a shame for those who had made it there for the first time. Like our last visit to the peak, assorted utes and maintenance guys were there doing their thing. Must be a lot of ‘maintenance’ needed…
Just below the summit, we found a sheltered spot to have lunch and don an extra layer.
The next move was essentially a retracing of our steps, the mist thinning at times, with a short diversion through a gully area for a change. We were back at the van for a catch-up with Tony in less than three hours.
Overall, we covered just over 17kms with an altitude gain of around 500m, so it was a decent workout for everyone.
We headed to the Tutira Store for ‘compulsory’ ice creams (the most generous serves and best prices in HB), followed by an uneventful trip back to Napier. It was an enjoyable tramp in excellent company, with great banter, no mishaps and a fine effort by everyone.
Trampers: Ian Pirie, Alison Greer, Denise Bavidge, Shona Tupe, Juliet Gillick, Selina Chilton, Kate Fuller, John Tovey, Keith Gore, Tony Pluymers, Colin Jones and T/O, driver and reporter John Dobbs
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