A TRIP UP MT. EGMONT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 52, 7 March 1900, Page 2

A TRIP UP MT. EGMONT.

, [contributed.] 5 We had been talking about it for f weeks, and our hopes had been raised r and then dashed to the ground several c times. We were to leave New Ply- . mouth on Monday morning at 7.30, j but when Sunday morning arrived and ( we awoke to find the rain coming down ( in torrents, we felt crushed and broken- , hearted, and decided that life was dull , and dreary and a complete failure, j When Monday came we were all up j early, anxiously looking out to see , whether the clouds and rain were gone, and" to our joy the morning was clear , and bright. At a quarter to eight we 1 were all seated comfortably in our conveyance, with hot bread, etc., to keep us from getting low-spirited. Before leaving the town we picked up the last of our party, and then we settled down to fun and enjoyment. On reaching Mr. Williams' at the Radius Line, we left the conveyance, and fixed our luggage for the pack-horses. We then passed through the Reserve gates and started the ascent to the Mountain House. The track (or rather , roadway, for vehicles can now be taken within two miles of the House) i wound through the most beautiful bush we had ever seen. Immense trees covered with ferns and lichen s and mosses towered above us and met ! overhead. Beautiful pungas, with their delicate feathery fronds, grew in ; all directions, while small ferns, delicate mosses, and little white flowers covered > the old fallen trees and formed a soft, \ mossy carpet everywhere. Now and again we passed what appeared to be , a huge wall of earth thickly overgrown s with crape and finger ferns and many > tinted mosses. These were really the | roots of trees which had been blown over by some fierce gale. After passt ing the second milestone the foliage . became less luxuriant, and the last mile • was a steeper climb than the others. 1 Coming to a bend in the now narrow track a glorious view of the Mountain " burst upon us, and as we stood and \ gazed up at it we could not but feel > bow grand and beautiful are all God's works. We the celebrated , Mountain House at 4.15, having been i just three hours in climbing the four | miles from the Radius Line. It didn't take us long to get a substantial meal | ready, and it is needless to say we had ; all lost our appetites and found a 1 donkey's. At about 7 o'clock two gentlemen, one from Auckland and the ' other from Inglewood, joined our party, ; a pleasant surprise, as they were friends E and would make two more for the [ mountain climbing. At 3 o'clock next morning we were all astir, and s those of us who intending climbing ate ! a good breakfast, prepared by our gentleman friends. By four o'clock s we were all ready, and having Mr. E Lewis, the trusty guide, to lead the ' way, we started off. Our way led us ' for three-quarters of a mile up a nar- ! row track through the bush. It was . bright moonlight and deliciously cool and fresh, and to most, ifnotall, of us a ■ novel and enjoyable walk. Again ferns i and flowers and mosses grew thickly in our way, and native trees covered J with creepers and moss grew thickly : around us. We followed this track s until it led us into a valley, and then we climbed steadily up to the left over a soft springy carpet of many coloured . mosses—bronze, and green, and gold, . and silver, with little white flowers i here and there. We had hoped to s reach the top of the ridge in time to ! . see the sun rise, but were just too late ; We saw it touch all the top of the • mountain with crimson, and on reaching the top a glorious scene burst upon • us. A great sea of snowy clouds | spread out before us, and Ruapehu, ' Tongariro, and Ngaruahoe towered , above them away to the right. We : could hardly realise that the clouds, which to us seemed resting on the earth and covering the varioiu townships, were really high in the air, ' floating lightly over the earth. We : climbed on, and reached Khyber Pass, I just above Humphries' Castle, at ten | minutes past six. While opposite the ; latter, we could not but marvel at the ' wonderful formation of the huge mass ! of rock. It is indeed like an immense castle, with its tower rising high above ; the main portion. We flashed to our ; friends at the Mountain House from here, and received a flash in reply. , At Khyber Pass we rested and ate , some fruit, one of our party giving us a comic recitation by way of a change. ' Again we started off; the vegetation . became more and more scanty and , the climbing stiffer and more difficult. Our next stopping-place was the • " Drinking Fountain," at which we 1 were all refreshed by a small drink of ' clear ice-cold water, very precious because of its scarcity. Still following our wot thy guide, we at last came to the tail of the Lizard, a great stretch of dark rock reaching away up the mountain ; up and up we climbed, now and again pausing to rest and take breath; Gradually we climbed up over the Lizard's back, and at last reached the top, where we again rested. The view at each resting-place was very beautiful. The morning was perfect, and the clouds below were ever changing and rolling on, now disclosing the earth and then hiding everything from view. Now came the last and most difficult climb, and using our iiands more than our sticks we pressed on, resting oftener and longer. When almost up to the enter, we took a sharp turn to the left, and in a few minutes we came upon the great stretch of snow of about three or four 1 acres. This sight, to those of us who i had never seen snow except in the distance, was a revelation. Words cannot describe our feelings, and when i Mr. Lewis led us right across it we felt < like a lot of school children. We mado snow-balls and pelted one another, and shoutedi°.and laughed to our hearts' content. In about five minutes we 1 were on the highest point, having been v five hours and 20 minutes in climbing. : A glorious panorama lay around us. i To the south we could see the great 1 ocean stretching for miles, and away i in the distance the Kaikouras rising si dimly beyond it. To the east Rua- J puliu, snow-clad, glistened in the sun, f while Ngaruahoe and i'ongariro looked i quiet and peaceful, as if fire and tumult t were unknown to them. Beautiful J fleecy clouds floated in all directions. {. Paritutu and the Breakwater, with ' Now Plymouth, only just discernible, : lay away tQ the west, aud Lsqw u* c

could now and again be seen Ingle- i wood and Stratford. To say we were ] hrilled through and through by this < ;lorious view but faintly expresses our ] eelings, and as long as we live we shall i lever forget it. However, we soon ■ lescended to mundane things again, uid, unpacking our lunch, we made a learty meal. The place we had ihosen for our resting-place was shel;ered on three sides by a wall of rock, vhile in front, across the snow, was mother great mass of rock cracked and )aked by the fierce heat which had aged there in ages gone by.. We vere feeling very tired, and this rest vas very enjoyable. One of our party ;ave us another recitation, and what vith riddles, yarns, and jokes, we spent juite a pleasant hour or two. After b peep at the beautiful ice-caves, we started the descent, and soon after one >'clock we were down in the clouds, ,vhich enveloped us like a warm fog. Having our trusty guide with us we vere njt at all nervous, but rather mjoyed the novel experience. Reach-1 ng Humphries' Castle, we came into I :lear atmosphere again, and while here ,ve coo-eed to our friends at the house md heard a faint response. At three j'clock one of them met us with tea, a rei y acceptable beverage and a pleasant surprise, By half-past three we were jack at the house thoroughly tired out, but ready to do justice to a hot dinner ivhick was all ready for us. During the evening another party irrived, and our two friends from [nglewood left us. \\ e were all glad ;o get to bed early. On Wednesday morning at 5.20 the jarty from Rahotu started out, but the •ain coming down soon after they left >revented them from making the tscent. Thursday dawned clear and bright. The Rahotu party left about 7, while we stayed on until nearly 12. We strolled round in the bush for an hour or two, and then, after having our last meal, packed up and left the dear old house, having had a glorious holiday. Reaching the Radius Line we were soon in our conveyance, and on our way to Mr. Peters'. We received a very hearty welcome, and thoroughly appreciated the tea and rich cream prepared for us. Mr. Peters and his two little girls entertained us with selections on the piccolo, violin, and mandolin. After a stay of about an hour and a half at this pretty farmhouse, we resumed our journey. It was a perfectly calm afternoon, and we enjoyed the drive immensely, singing and laughing and chatting all the way in. We reached New Plymouth at 6.30, stiff, but quite satisfied with our trip all through. The Mountain House is ah ideal place for a holiday. Mr. Lewis and his son are attentive and kind, and the former as a guide is pleasant and trustworthy. We all hope to pay him a visit again at some future time.