Climbing Mount Honokawa

The nearest approach to big mountains in this part of the country lies in the Raukumara Range, the backbone of the East Coast, where the peaks of Arowhana, Hikurangi, Honokawa, and Raukumara rise into the four– and five–thousand foot class.

High in the range are born the Coast's two big rivers, the Waipaoa in the south and the Waiapu in the north.

Hikurangi, highest peak and nearest to the east, is famous as the spot where the rising sun first shines in New Zealand.

These pictures were taken during a partial ascent of Honokawa, due west of Ruatoria, by three members of the Gisborne Youth Hostel Association ––Jim Kerr, Dick Milne, and Jim Siriett. The short winter day stopped their ascent a couple of hours from the summit.