Sharks Tooth, Egmont National Park

Forget loose scree and crowds of people on the popular summit route to the majestic Mt Egmont/Taranaki.

You get none of those if you decide on an off-season climb of this near-perfect symmetrical volcano.

An early start is required to catch the best weather conditions – clouds often gather late in the morning, not only preventing you from enjoying spectacular views but once immersed in them they can make route-finding difficult.

Night frost will turn the North Ridge into a perfect ascent line and your crampons will crunch reassuringly into the crust. The last metres along the ridge to the crater are a battle with time: blankets of clouds slowly rising.

From the crater, more experienced climbers can tackle Sharks Tooth, 2518m. Though the lower of Taranaki’s two peaks, its distinctive ice-covered shape makes it the more spectacular climb.

Only the huge bulk of Mt Ruapehu interrupts the perfect line of the horizon.

– Jakub Cejpek