SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

By Matt Alpe

The purpose of this event was to fundraise for a new vehicle so we can run more programmes for youth with disabilities and to give them life changing experiences. We can firmly state that we experienced something along these lines as well. This event is a precursor to Brent Jenkin’s Mt. Kilimanjaro climb in August this year, and you can follow his journey on Facebook at ‘Challenge 4 Charity NZ’.

Thank you to everybody who has supported us and donated to the cause! We are overwhelmed by your positive feedback and words of encouragement. If you would still like to retroactively contribute, just go to www.givealittle.co.nz/org/recreate

We would love to build on this event for 2015, with the ultimate goal of taking some of our awesome youth on these journeys.

Recreate NZ: Life changing experiences for youth with disabilities

Day #1 Mt. Taranaki

5am start from the Tahurangi Lodge. The thought of climbing a good chunk of this mountain away from the sun makes this early wake up worth it…. Kinda! With our head torches on and our clothing a few layers thick, we ease into the trek with plenty of stops to enjoy the view of the distant Central Plateau Maunga in silhouette against the pre-dawn haze. The air is still and sound is void. The acclivity is constant but the terrain changes from good stairs to scree to big boulders. Our packed lunch was our reward at the summit. We couldn’t wait to stop, eat, and take in the mountain top views. With one final push we made it and we celebrated together. We could just make out the South Island, the West Coast surrounding Taranaki and of course to the East was Ruapehu,

Ngauruhoe and Tongariro with the Whanganui River inbetween. The wind picked up and of course since we stopped, our bodies cooled very quickly so we sought shelter and ate lunch.

We return to our faithful Landrover ‘disco’ and begin the 4 hour journey on the Forgotten Highway from Stratford to Taumauranui, finishing up at our base for the week in Ohakune.

Day #2 Mt. Hauhangatahi

Hauhungatahi!? Who’s ever heard of it? A lesser known cousin to it’s more famous neighbours Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, Hauhungatahi sits between National Park and Ohakune on State Highway 4. At 1521m ‘old baldy’ it is the 5th highest volcano in New Zealand.

Hauhungatahi is a very interesting and enjoyable trek, with the first challenge being to find the start of the track. After finding the marker, we bush-bashed for what felt like forever. After about 1.5hrs we came to the end of the bush, whereupon the vista opened up to reveal shoulder high alpine type scrub, and the summit of Hauhungatahi. As we were attempting the climb the day before Cyclone Lusi we also ‘encountered’ an increase in wind speed once out of the comfort of the bush!

We dropped our packs just under the summit and raced up the rocks to be first up, and then nearly first back down again, as this is where we really ran into Lusi. Unbeknown to us we were under the protection of old baldy for most of the way up, however as soon as we popped our heads over the summit ridge Lusi nearly blew us back to where we started!

We reached the summit in 3hrs 20min, at an even pace with stops for food and drink. Experienced trampers will cover the ground more quickly, and the return is quite leisurely.

Day #3 Rest Day

With the remnants of Cyclone Lusi greeting the Central plateau, the collective decided to bunk down for the day and rest our bodies from the comfort of our Ohakune homestead. We enjoyed a game of monopoly, the odd movie on the box and good food. The rain and wind was quite consistent most of the day so we felt good about our decision.

Day #4 Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe attempt

After spending a considerable amount of time gauging the weather conditions the night before, we all agreed upon a 5am wake up in order to leave the house at 6am and start walking at 7am. By the time we got our packs on our backs and laid our first footsteps on the track it was 7.30am so we were all happy. The plan was to head to South Crater and then veer off and scramble up Ngauruhoe and back down, then carry on to Red Crater and stand on Tongariro.

Also after the first two days our legs were feeling good and we were hitting our stride. Low cloud engulfed us with a little wind for the first hour. Once we popped up over the ridge to South Crater the light wind turned strong and the visibility was very poor. After a quick discussion we decided to forego the 3 hour return Ngauruhoe summit climb and focus on Tongariro. In the South Crater we were teased with flashes of sunlight but the cloud was stubborn with its presence. We ascended towards the Red Crater slowly as the winds persisted and the temperature dropped.

We clocked the wind speed at 91kms and the wind chill under 0 degrees near the turn off to the Tongariro summit. While we huddled together for a quick bite to get some food in us, we decided to turn back and not continue to the summit which was only an hour away. In the moment it was a very tough decision because we were so close and we felt obliged to make the summit since our supporters were sponsoring us. The drive was there, but we felt good about turning back to avoid the risk.

Once we returned to South Crater the winds eased and then dropping past Soda Springs the temperature rose and we entered a completely different environment. We made great time back to the carpark and of course during our drive back to Ohakune the sun shone and Mt. Ruapehu made an appearance and looked fantastic. This day has been a text book alpine experience which was very different to our fortuitous weather two days prior. Mountain safety and good decision making proved the winner on the day, and it feels good to take pride in that.

Day #5 Rest Day

We awoke ready for the challenge of Mt. Ruapehu, and after studying the weather forecast we dressed for the cold and drove to Whakapapa base. After our coffee intake we checked to see what the lifts were doing and quickly discovered they were on hold  with a decision to open or close the mountain coming soon. After 30 minutes of playing the waiting game, we were informed of the mountain closure. We felt disappointed, but we picked back up after deciding to jump in Lake Taupo followed by a soak in Tokaanu Thermal pools.

Day #6 Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe second attempt

The decision to start early was made the night before, and by now we were getting pretty good at it.  We kinda knew that this would be a big day as we wanted to reach both summits on the crossing in one day. In addition to this, we definitely wanted to beat the buses and avoid the rush hour traffic on the track. After our disappointment of turning back only two days before, we thought re-walking the crossing would be a great mental challenge. This wasn’t the case at all since the conditions were completely opposite to what we had experienced and it felt like a whole new walk in a way.

Roughly an hour into the trek, we found the magic spot where we managed to see all of our five peaks at once. We found this sight amazing as it brought the old legends of the mountains alive, with Taranaki brooding in the distance. We carried on making good time to the base of Ngauruhoe and the first of the sunlight on our faces. A good break was needed to catch our breath and to size up the incline ahead of us. During this ascent we experienced truly interchangeable weather as thick cloud and cold air chased us to the summit, a reminder that these climbs are always going to engage our senses.

After two hours of constant scree scrambling, we reached the summit above the clouds with views reminiscent of a plane’s window seat. The form of the summit’s crater is textbook, with an incredible mixture of colours. After recording our video shout out and our extended photo-taking session, we surfed the scree during the descent. Before we knew it we were back on the highway of South Crater via a pleasant shortcut off the track. Reaching the Tongariro summit was very enjoyable with views into the bowl of South Crater and to Ngauruhoe.

It was a great feeling knowing that it was literally all ‘downhill from here’ as the cliché goes. Halfway back to the car park Brent and the girls decided to take their boots off and soak their toes in the mini pools just off the boardwalk.

After 11 hours on the crossing, we felt like we earnt a soak in the hot pool, a beer and a great feed all at the Powderkeg Restaurant and Bar.

Day #7 Mt. Ruapehu

The forecast was looking good and the final Maunga showed herself to us from Ohakune. Our original plans had us climbing Ruapehu earlier in the schedule, but as it worked out it felt good finishing with the highest volcano. After coffees all round and purchasing our lift passes, we left Whakapapa skifield and jumped on the two chairlifts which took us to just over 2,000m. Only 700m of actual climbing awaited us, but as we found out, Ruapehu wasn’t going to make it easy for us.

We set off and settle into a good groove along nice and steady terrain. We scored a beautiful day to climb, and after impatiently waiting for good weather during our rest days, we didn’t take this for granted at all!

A few of us had reached the summit before, but for some reason we missed the proper unmarked track and we kept a straight line ahead over tricky terrain. By the time we realised it was too late, so we slowly continued and made the summit the hard way. We celebrated by popping champagne together amongst high fives and hugs all round.

Returning to the chairlift was a great feeling, with a little bit of coffee still in the thermos to keep us occupied. The good feelings continued when we reached the ‘disco’, took off our boots, opened a beer and lay on the warm asphalt while we reminisced about the whole journey.

5 Volcanoes. 11,105 total vertical metres. 35 total hours. 7 days.

Tags: Youth