The Department of Conservation says the Around the Mountain Circuit on Mt Taranaki could be closed for several months following recent damaging storms.
There is other damage including a slip below the Plateau to Dawson Falls section of the AMC, where the track is still accessible, but caution is required. Tree windfalls on the Waingongoro Track on the Maunga, and at Ratapihipihi and Everett Park Scenic Reserves will hopefully be cleared this week.
SUPPLIED/DOC
Recent storms on Taranaki Maunga have brought down trees, closing tracks and access to huts. The team is still making its way through the network of tracks both on and off the Maunga. Trampers heading out need to take extreme care, be aware they may encounter damage and be prepared to turn back.
A tree windfall on Waingongoro Track, Taranaki Maunga.
Photo: Tamsen Walker / DOC
The upper Ihaia Track to the Waiaua Gorge Hut is shut due to a large washout and the hut is inaccessible from the western side of the mountain.
Taranaki district ranger supervisor Andy Johnston said that caused the Around the Mountain Circuit to be closed until the Ihaia Track could be re-routed. In this case in particular, it s just cut quite deep down into the stream channel creating steep banks on either side, so where the track line was it s now quite a steep drop down to the bottom of the stream bed.
Taranaki Maunga s Ambury Monument restored to mark its centenary stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Refurbishment completed on century-old maunga monument
The monument, a short walk from the North Egmont Visitor Centre on the Veronica Loop Track, commemorates the bravery of Arthur Hamilton Ambury, who died in June 1918 trying to save the life of William Gourlay. William Gourlay had slipped on ice while climbing, and the pair died when they fell over a bluff on the maunga when Arthur Ambury was attempting the rescue.
Unveiled on Good Friday, April 18, 1919, the stone obelisk was built of locally-sourced stone, set on a square base incorporating stone seats on each side. It includes a plaque noting Mr Ambury’s heroic effort, which earned him a posthumous Albert Medal, presented to his widow Annie a year later by then–Governor General Arthur Foljambe.