Following a lovely evening with Bill And Margaret we had a lazy breakfast chatting with them once more. The weather forecast for Mt Taranaki, the main reason for our presence in New Plymouth, was poor so we set for a short walk around Lake Mangamohoe, the town reservoir that had also been made a park. The kiwis really do an excellent job of providing open spaces for their people.
Bill had told us of a viewing spot part way around the lake circuit walk that afforded a view of the lake with the mountain - Mt Taranaki is an isolated volcano that dominates the landscape and was used as 'The Lonely Mountain' in the The Hobbit. Well sure enough the view was spectacular but the mountain top was shrouded in cloud - good job we hadn't climbed it today.
After the 45min loop through native bush, Redwoods and pretty flowers around the lake shore we set off for the Egmont Park, home of Mt Taranaki, visitor centre to check on summit conditions. The visitor centre had lots of displays and information so we spent a while eventually visiting the cafe for a nice pot of tea. The cakes looked good but managed to resist as eaten so much the previous day.
On the way home we just had time to call in at Pukeiti Park that is famed for its Rhododendron collection. Nestled in the hills above the city it was a long and windy road to the entrance and we got there 40 mins before closing. As we walked through the entrance one of the gardeners stopped his truck and recommended a walk with the most colour. Although we'd missed the main season, think late June in the UK, there was still the odd Azalea in flower and some pretty flowers we later learned were Himalayan mountain lilies. One again the park was beautifully presented in a lovely setting of trees and had the feel of a Nation Trust garden back home - except admission was free.
We couldn't dawdle too long as we'd promised to cook Bill and Margaret dinner in return for the meal they'd prepared for us yesterday. After a short stop for ingredients, and plenty of sugary things for tomorrow's walk, we returned to the house and Yvonne knocked up one of her go to dishes - Chicken and Chorizo in beans. The chorizo turned out to be very spicy but the meal was accompanied by a lovely bottle of wine from the vineyard we'd dined at in Napier a few days ago and was enjoyed by everyone.
Sandwiches made, rucksacs packed and early to bed in readiness for tomorrow's assault on the mountain.
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| Lake Mangmoahoe |
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| Mt Taranaki and Lake Mangamohoe |
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| A rare break in the cloud shows summit of Mt Taranaki from the visitor centre |
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| Pukeiti park |
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| Himalayan lily |
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| The last vestiges of spring colour |
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