Enjoy Taranaki Maunga via Razorback Ridge as a half-day trip or an overnighter.

This 2–3hr circuit on the northern aspect of Taranaki Maunga is a wonderful way to experience the mountain in fine weather. It’s a great day walk for beginner trampers, a solid trail run for those building fitness, and can be a kid-friendly adventure, too.

Park at North Egmont Visitor Centre just below the Camp House. Walk up the road and take the Holly Hut/Pouakai Circuit Veronica Loop Track. Pass the Ambury Monument and continue up a well-formed, stepped track through goblin forest, following signs for Holly Hut.

After about 40 minutes a lookout provides a welcome break from the uphill. Enjoy vistas of Pouakai Range and New Plymouth to the north. On a calm day this is a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy the abundant song of tūī, miromiro and riroriro, testament to the pest control work being done at Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki.

A DOC sign here warns walkers not to proceed unless properly equipped and with an experienced leader – a fair call depending on your intentions and the weather.

From here, follow the track up lower Razorback Ridge and leave the bush behind. The track soon trends northwards and you’ll see Humphries Castle above you at 1593m.

Soon after, a line of cliffs comes into view and you will reach a sign pointing to the Plateau/Maketawa Hut/Summer Route. Turn left here up the narrow steps to start heading south to Tahurangi Lodge (not signposted because it is a private lodge).

Keep climbing and sidling along under Humphries Castle. The route becomes sparsely poled and you enter a brief no-fall section, with a boulder-strewn scree slope on your left that culminates in a vertical drop into a stream. 

Pass beneath a low bluff with gentle slopes. Round a corner and you will see the translator tower. On a clear day you can see the Surrey Road route to the summit of the maunga directly above you, the obvious right-trending ramp sitting between tiers of bluffs. 

A key code is required to access the lodge: for overnight or day stays, contact Taranaki Alpine Club. The lodge has 26 bunks, heating, flush toilets and hot showers. A small foyer that doesn’t require a key code offers shelter if needed.

From the lodge, take The Puffer, an infamous steep section of semi-sealed 4WD track. It’s a toe masher. Turn left at the junction with Maketawa Track and follow the North Egmont Summit Track back to the visitor centre.