Over the last year I have been making a
point of exploring more of Taranaki, especially (when weather permits) the
hiking options around the mountain. One of the things that made it on to my
list was the hike to Bells Falls, part of the 3-5 day ‘round the mountain
circuit. I am not yet adventurous enough
to plan the full circuit, but since the information said this portion could be
done in one day if you returned via the way you came, I thought I should give
it a go.
Well. If only I had known what I was in
for. The information I found advised this was an upper-intermediate level hike
that would take about 8 hours. I have found the estimated timeframes tend to be
pretty generous, so I was guessing it would take me 6-7 hours. I managed to get
back to the car in 7 hours and 2 minutes, albeit with a bit more adventure than
anticipated.
It was a beautiful summer day to be out on
a hike, the sun not yet fully over the mountain as I found the parking area. As
I set out from the car, it was a nice trail through the woods, easy to follow
with only a slight incline. Except for the spider webs, I was thinking I had
for sure picked a winner and it would be a thoroughly enjoyable day. I mention
the spider webs because I would spend the next 90 minutes looking like I was practicing
bad kung fu in the woods. I am certain that just about every second or third
tree was anchoring a spider web across the trail, so it felt as if I was
constantly walking in to one. Fortunately by the time I returned to the car I
had gotten all of them so I stayed web-free on the return trek.
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| My fist obstacle - a tree across the path |
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| The bottom of a tree that got uprooted |
About an hour in to the hike I found the
sign for the turn-off to head towards the falls. Unfortunately it was closed
due to erosion. However it said to carry on and there would be another trail to
take further along. So off I go for another 30-ish minutes until I get to a
place where the trail splits 3 ways. Unfortunately it did not say which of
these I should take to get towards the falls. So I picked the one I thought
might be it and headed off. But not far down it seemed to just be back-tracking
the way I had come so I turned around. That left straight ahead from where I
had started or taking the third option, which looked a bit more overgrown and
less used. Straight ahead led to somewhere I had not heard of before so decided
on the third option as it mentioned a destination that had been referenced on
the “trail to the falls closed” sign.
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| yay! |
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| Oh..... |
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| Well here goes... |
I must take this opportunity to say that I
am now convinced that the road less travelled is not always the best option. Parts
of the trail were terribly overgrown, and while it was pretty forest to tramp
through, it did not seem to be what I was after. I had a niggly feeling in the
back of my mind that I was not going the right way. I told myself to go just a
bit further and see what I encountered. I found a lovely small waterfall (which
I thought could be a consolation prize in case I did not find my original
destination), but after the waterfall I found myself climbing up a very steep
bank. Not long after I got to the top, I hear something crashing through the
woods. Peeking around the next corner I see some tracks which are definitely
not sheep or goats, and it is unlikely some farmers has cows loose on the
national park, which leaves a wild pig.
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| Well I found a waterfall |
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| And now up this steep bank... |
I took this as a sure sign I was going the
wrong way and turned back to where the trails split. Part of turning back meant
re-crossing the lovely mountain stream that had the mini waterfall, once I had
successfully climbed back down the bank. Unfortunately the rocks were slippery and
about halfway across I found myself in the water. Oops! The nice side of this
was the day was heating up a bit so the water was cool and refreshing. The not
so nice side was the squishy shoes and wet pants. But hey, all in a day’s hike,
right?
Even though I had eliminated one of the
three options, I was still unsure which of the remaining two was correct. I had
just about decided maybe I should head home when a local gentleman who looked to
be out for his Saturday stroll happened along. I asked if he knew which way to
the falls and what do you know, it was the one I had first tried that I ruled
out as back-tracking the wrong way *internal eyeroll at myself. He said it was
a lovely view and “just a ways down that trail” so I thought why not and off I
went.
Three hours later I made it! While getting
there, I only fell in the water one more time (there were multiple crossings),
slid down 2 banks and tripped 10 or 12 times. Once I was on the right track, it
was a beautiful hike. I had lunch near the base of the falls, and it was one of
those picturesque places where it felt like time stood still for a little bit. Although
I was tired by the time I got home, it was worth the effort and I
would likely do it again (minus the detour) now that I know the way. However,
to anyone planning to check it I would not recommend a winter hike due to the
stream crossings. See below for more photos to better explain much of my day J
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| My guide for the day |
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| Climbed up and down a few of these |
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| Never been so happy to see an "almost there" sign! |
