Mt Hikurangi, Raukumara Conservation Park

December 2025

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December 2025

The summit ridgeline offers commanding views and is a great place to view the sunrise. Photo: Mark Watson
The Raukumara Range of the North Island’s rugged East Cape is home to Aotearoa’s northernmost alpine zone and the island’s highest non-volcanic peak. The solitary and commanding massif of Mt Hikurangi (1752m) is sacred to Ngāti Porou and is the first place in the world where the sunlight of a new day touches Earth. But […]
Mark Watson

About the author

Mark Watson

Wilderness gear editor Mark Watson divides his workdays between graphic design, writing and photography. His passion for tramping, climbing, cycling and storytelling has taken him all over Aotearoa and the world in search of great trails, perfect moves and epic light. He has published four books and his photographs have featured in numerous publications. Especially motivated by long distance travel, he has tramped Te Araroa and cycled from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

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