To celebrate our anniversary we decided to stay local and enjoy some adventuring. The weekend offered beautiful sunny days so we packed our bags and headed out to the mountain. We chose to tackle a 12-kilometer (7.5 miles) loop track, the Kokowai Loop.
The track began with stair climbing through a wooded area, heading towards one of the huts. The scenery changed when we turned off on what is known as the Boomerang Slip. This section was the most challenging by far, with sections requiring single-file access and rapidly changing scenery. We were presented with views of water/rocks showing significant mineral deposits, providing lovely color contrasts to the alpine scenery. This was definitely a track to be done in summer weather. We were high enough up that it would get icy in the winter, and some areas were steep and exposed enough that it would be quite a different experience in winter weather.
When we reached the end of the slip we turned back towards the visitor center. This took us back down to another wooded section. Highlights included a winding staircase, river crossing, and a swing bridge. Swing bridges are pretty popular on trails here, but this one was not my favorite, it had a bit more 'swing' to it than most, which I found a bit disconcerting. Lived to tell the tale though so I guess nothing to really complain about, ha!
Post-hike we headed to the Stratford side of the mountain, to the the Dawson Falls Mountain Lodge. After a much-needed shower and cup of tea, we relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon before enjoying a lovely dinner with views of the mountain and settling in for the night.
