What a Goldilocks sort of Monday, not too hot and not too cold. A welcome change from the awful weather and cancellation of last week’s walk.

We arrived at Chateau Tongariro and split into two groups. One to tackle the Ridge Track and then to climb down to, and then follow, the Wairere Stream to the bridge. The other group would take the lower route to the stream, walk upstream and return to the bridge.

The Ridge Track immediately made its intentions clear. Uphill or else pushing through low growing tussock or even better, throw in a few rock fields.

We climbed up through cooling mountain forest, its understory decorated by umbrella ferns and tree trunks almost carpeted in moss and all imbued with an aroma of damp vegetation.

By the time we reached an open area the first layer of surplus clothing was removed and there was a second shedding when we arrived at a large table strategically placed to look down over the Chateau. Perfect spot for an elegant morning tea but no tablecloth provided.

From hereon we weaved our way up hill through the tussock trying not to twist ankles in the boggy potholes it concealed.

The higher we climbed the more open, uneven and rocky the terrain became. The volcanoes teased us with occasional peeps of themselves from behind low cloud.

The seemingly never-ending ridge relented, and we scrambled down only to discover another ridge to climb up and along. Looking back up, the big rocks were incredible, jagged, tortuous and often solitary shapes.

Finally, we made our way down to a flat area near the stream. Each walker choosing their individual path taking care not to dislodge unstable rocks, or even themselves, onto a person below.

As we lunched the cloud up the valley slowly lifted and we were treated to a perfect view of the Pinnacles. Just an icing of snow capped the weird, sharp tips of the rocks.

The mountain air cooled and we were glad to reinstate the shed clothing. A reminder that while packs can feel heavy with PLB’s, radios and ‘just in case’ clothing it is surprising how often the unexpected occurs.

We managed the stream crossing with just a few of us getting wet boots and then followed the banks of the Wairere.

The stream had steep walls and water gushing down and over falls. The sides appeared like polished stainless steel with cracks created by the pressure of different cooling times within lava flows.

One rock was folded into soft curves and bundles as though produced in an extruding machine.

Many describe the alpine area as desolate but look carefully and you can see beautifully blended, rust-red, green and brown vegetation blending with the silvery green and snowy, sheep shaped mosses.

These plants adapt to the wind and the cold by growing low, staying with the group and using a variety of leaf shapes and textures to stay warm and prevent drying out.

We even spotted a brilliant green sigaus piliferus, better known as a North Island alpine grasshopper.

Soon we were at a track intersection and took the stairways to the Taranaki Falls. Prior to 1920 they were named the Wairere Falls but some cartological error resulted in a name change.

Here the water thunders over a 20 metre drop the stream has forced through an old lava flow, splashing into the pool below and spraying water up the bank. An amazing sight.

At this lower-level, mountain beech notable for the way their branches are tightly layered horizontally, thrive.

These hardy trees can live for 500 years but only seed every 4-5 years. Because their seeds are not dispersed by birds or wind, they are slow to colonise an area.

The track back to the iconic Chateau is an easy bush walk, initially along the river and then out into open grassy areas. There both groups shared their experiences and agreed it had been a great day.