Nature Tourism - History in the making, hiking tracks; Mt Titiroa (Part 2), Hunter Mountains, Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko National Park hike

Content Partner: Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive. Mount Titiroa (1715m) Part 2 - Hunter Mountains, Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko National Park. 4.4.2016. Images above taken by Mark Y Wilson and shared under a CC BY Creative Commons Licence. The text below is also licensed CC BY to Mark Y Wilson. Borland Adventures shared by Mark Y Wilson, NZ Hikes: “Waking up mid mish is always an enjoyable experience. Knowing there is a job to be done keeps the mind occupied before heading out into the wild world you have got yourself into. There is a job to do and we are going to have an awesome time doing it! Crunching across frosty ground is something I usually really enjoy, but it’s not as enjoyable when walking towards an icy river that needs to be crossed first thing in the morning. Crossing moving ice (an alpine river) is a good way to wash away any remaining sleepiness.. Immediately after crossing the North Branch of the Borland Burn the route up Titiroa (1717m) climbed through open beech forest, which got easier to travel through the higher we got. The treeline ends at a lip of a small basin on the southern end of Mt Titiroa (1715m), and camping beside the tarn in the elevated basin is on the list. Above the basin we came across the first of many large, sculptured granite boulders, some looking like the Easter Island statues. Above we looked along the south ridge from Peak 1581m, and as I did clouds began to cover the summit of Mt Titiroa (1715m). We kept as close to the crest of the ridge as possible, summitting a few of the minor Titiroa Peaks along the way. The rough sandpaper-like surface of the rock provided excellent grip on the steep areas and we slowly crept our way along the ridge towards our goal. With one last scramble we dragged ourselves onto the top of the large summit rocks, and there was no more up to go. The view was outstanding. However before I could take a photo, Lake Manapōuri quickly disappeared into a sea of clouds. A summit is a summit, and even though clouds had obscured some of the views, the alpine atmosphere and summit satisfaction easily made it worth the effort. To descend we dropped down into the tarn covered basins on the south side of Mt Titiroa (1715m). Plugging steps into the granite sand on the way down into the first basin was one of the strangest alpine experiences I have ever had. Sand that appears white on top becomes dark brown after sinking into it, adding to the uniqueness of this incredible mountain. The