Mt Karioi

View from the base of Mt Karioi over Te Totu Gorge

Talk about a big grin. This was one of those trail running adventures that brings a huge smile to my face - in awe of the scenic beauty of New Zealand, and so very grateful to be able to get out there and experience it.

Mt Karioi is a 2.4 million year old extinct volcano on the West Coast of the North Island, about 13km south of Raglan in the Waikato. It towers imposingly over Raglan township, its jagged peaks jutting up towards the clouds. At its peak it is 756m (2480ft).

Mt Karioi from Raglan

The summit track starts just above Te Totu Gorge at about 200m, and heads straight up over the next 2-3km to the first peak at about 600m.  Parts of the track are very steep, requiring chains bolted into the rock face to enable you to get up.  So its a mix of hiking, climbing and scrambling along the track.

Good friend Mark Boyd scaling one of the rock sections - it is MUCH steeper than this picture depicts!

Once you get to about 600m there are 2 or 3km of steep undulations and false peaks until you finally reach the summit at 756m, which is clearly marked by a radio mast.  On a clear day you can see as far as Mt Taranaki to the South (about 160km) and the Waitakere Ranges to the North.

On the day that we went up the mountain was shrouded in cloud from about 500-600m, which made it quite eerie in parts, and it was very cold and exposed to the wind at the top - the kind of weather that really makes you feel alive.  We reached the top in about 1 hour 20 minutes, had something to eat quickly, took a couple of photos and we were out of there!

At the summit

The "run" back down was also fun, and involved a fair amount of slipping and sliding and hanging on to trees and foliage to slow us down.  The run down took a shade over 1 hour.

I enjoyed the run up Mt Karioi very much. If you are ever visiting Raglan, I highly recommend that you check it out.

The view back up towards Mr Karioi from the lookout above Te Totu Gorge