Rotopounamu and romance go together

Ruapehu Bulletin, 21 December 1993, Page 6 (Supplement)

Rotopounamu and romance go together

Lying serenely, surrounded by lush podocarp forest on the side of Mt Pihanga is the beautiful Rotopounamu - the greenstone lake. It is easy to imagine it a finely worked pendant, placed around the neck of the mountain maiden Pihanga by the mighty Tongariro warrior after he had defeated rival suitor mountains for her hand. Pihanga lies at the eastern end of Tongariro National Park's northern belt of volcanic activity. The 1 325m cone-shaped andesite volcano is younger than her immediate neighbours and remained active for longer. A thick cover of Taupo pumice and ash, spewed from Tongariro vents during the past 15,000 years, is now clothed in podocarp forest. On its western flank is the Rotopounamu graben, its cones last erupting about 20,000 years ago. In a basin in the centre of the graben lies the greenstone lake, the largest in the park. It fills what is thought to be

an explosiOn crater of similar age to the surrounding vents. It feeds from several streams buthas no visual outlet. The young cones and craters to the north and south align with the active vents of Tongariro and Ruapehu. Rotopounamu, reached from Highway 47 as it crosses the Te Ponanga Saddle from Turangi to Lake Rotoaira, breathes tranquility. The peaceful walk around its wellformed track can be a one to two hour trip or a half-day ramble. Ffom the road the track climbs steeply at first, then more gently through the trees to reach the lake in about 20 minutes.

Around the lake margin towering rimu and kahikatea and the predominating kamahi forest give way to patches of sub-alpine scrub. Elsewhere, the track passes through ethereal beech forest with its enchanting, relatively clear under-storEy of shrubs, ferns, mosses, lichens and fungi. Orchids are common. At the norther end, backed by a lovely grove of pokaka, are two white and clean, fine pumice sand beaches, treasures for picknicking and swimming. On the far side the path, rougher in places, passes through grand examples of red beech, rimu, maire and matai. Always through the trees are glimpses of the still lake, alleged to hold a large population of trout. Waterfowl are abundant too. There are pigeons, shining and long-tailed cuckoos, kaka, robins, bellbirds, tui, fantails, tomtits, waxeyes, grey warblers and riflemen. (This is an extract from an article by Colin Moore)