Mt Tihia, Tongariro National Park

[corncob]

Discovered this gem of a mountain by word of mouth, and climbed it on the shortest day of the year in calm and sunny conditions. Lovely half day trip. Access is by a tiny extension of tar seal (unmarked) off SH47 at the Tokaanu end. Driving from Tokaanu go up the hill and on the right hand side of the road just past the top of the hill you'll see a very small sealed pull-in bit - you have to drive another couple of mins up the road to find a place to turn around safely (we turned at the beginning of the DOC marked Hinemihi's Track). Push through the bushes at the side of the road and you'll find a well-trodden path through the forest. The bushline is reached after about an hour and you come out to magnificent views of Lake Taupo, Turangi, Mt Pihanga, and Ngauruhoe. The track becomes a little hard to follow in the 5 mins past the bushline, so we marked our way with arrows in the ground. There is the odd rock cairn and coloured tie, but I wouldn't be confident about finding the track in snowy conditions. The summit (1165m) is only another 20-30 mins from the bushline with great views all around - very worthwhile. Bush was full of birdsong too.

[Jon (aka site admin)]

Tihia looks fantastic.  I think I can even spot the big sis too....  ?

[vinodrinker]

shortest dy of the year we attempted to climb kohukohunui from the south only to get lost! 6 hours in the wet and cold high in the hunuas without a map...wont do that again!! damn those wrong turns.  So we didnt make it to the top but will do it again

looks great trip. im planning on spending a week hiking the central north island this summer

[Jon (aka site admin)]

6 hours in the wet and cold high in the hunuas without a map...wont do that again!!

oh that sounds fun...     at least you can tell us how not to get to kohukohunui

[bacchus]

I can also supply how to twist your ankle till you hear a loud cracking/snapping noise (followed by a few profane words) then realise you are halfway into the Hunua ranges with no other way out other than shanks pony ..
Still hobbling 2 weeks on, next time I am gong to lookwhere I am going hahaha

[Jon (aka site admin)]

Hey Corncob,

Do you reckon you could describe or draw us a line on the topo map below for the route up Tihia? Your description sounds different to the partial track marked on the map.

Does it start from that little loop road?

(To draw a line on it, you'd download it and draw on it in a graphics program, then save it and reattach it to this thread.  )

[corncob]

This is a guess on where the track is:

[Jon (aka site admin)]

Thanks!  We'll have to check it out when we head up that way in the summer.  Might be a good excuse to get myself a flash new GPS so we can track the route...

[GuanoGerbil]

This looks interesting - something new for me to explore when I'm down that way. This is good stuff!

Another little one I discovered recently nearby is Pukekaikiore. It's an isolated dome just a few minutes north of Turangi along SH41 (Western Bays). Track not marked on topo, but access is down a rough metal road immediately north of the bridge when coming from the south. Follow the 'road' around the back of the hill and through the gate (this is public access -don't be put off). Parking area and a good track up to summit. A nice viewing platform at the top which gives good views out to the SE only. Probably not worthy of official status as there's no trig, not that high (about 240m above surrounding countryside) and views in one direction only, but it's definately worth a walk if you're passing by. Make sure you lock your car at the bottom though - had some dodgy characters 'drive by' when I returned.

Another in that area is Hikurangi - no not that one, but the other one just north of Taumaranui, elev 771m asl. It is very prominent from Ruapehu and it taunted me many a time before I finally got around to checking it out. It's only when you get closer that you realise it's actually not as big as it appears from a distance. The southern track is easier to find. Most of the walk is over farmland and then follow a track through some bush to the summit. I imagine the view is spectacular out over Ruapehu, but it was raining when I did it and couldn't see a thing! This is over private land which rules out official status, but access isn't an issue if you ask at the house first, and it's worth a mention if you're bored and need something to do -as if! 

[Muzza]

There was a DOC summer programme hike up Mt Tihia on 3 Jan [24 in the group].
DOC is looking to make this into a day hike as an addition to the Tongariro Crossing, especially for when the weather is too poor to do the Crossing.
They expect 30,000 people to climb Mt Tihia in the initial year of it being developed. At present roading engineers are trying to resolve parking issues for such a large number of people.
We entered the track just minutes up the hill on the Turangi side of the Greenstone Lake carpark.
The track was relatively easy to climb [DOC gave it a grade 4 rating] although track markings can be hard to find in places.
It was no problem for us to find our way as the group was led by the Tongariro DOC chief.
It would seem that much of the track was formed by deer hunters, although there's hardly any sign of deer left.
Part of the track crosses an old Hydro exploration road which we came across going up.
Of interest,there are plenty of specimens of the world's largest moss along the track.
There are 2 tracks to Mt Tihia, we returned from the summit along the route Corncob describes. 
We enjoyed good weather and the views from the top were great.
Photos shown are of myself and my son at the peak, and views to Turangi and Greenstone Lake [Lake Pounamu].

[Jon (aka site admin)]

welcome muzza, and this is great news about DOC formally opening a track up Tihia.  It looks like a great spot.

Keep us posted on any developments you hear about this.  Did they mention any possible timeframes?

[Muzza]

 Yes, the person I/C DOC for Tongariro area,[think his name was Paul] was very informative. They are working on a 2-3 year time frame, the difficulty is the road safety issue which is to be looked at by roading engineers. He said from DOC's perspective they are one good hike short of what is needed in the region, hence the MtTihia propopsal

[maxpound85]

awsome challenge tramp, easy to find, strong winds up top, awsome veiws, track is marked out with DANGER tape every so often lol so newbies dont get lost....