Event Phone: 0212414577

The Taranaki Alpine Club is an Incorporated club that provides instruction, trips and a mountain lodge known as Tahurangi Lodge to its members.

Open Climb

For over 80 years the club has organised and hosted the annual public Open Climb event. Climbs in the past have been so successful, numbers are now limited to ensure compliance with our safety management plan, which is being constantly reviewed, audited by an external agency and updated.

The climb of Taranaki Maunga is a physically demanding challenge of at least ten hour’s duration. Participants must be physically fit and mentally prepared. If you are not used to this type of physical activity, you should be training at least 3 months prior to the climb. We recommend regular long walks and tramps with plenty of hills. For safety reasons, the Club reserves the right to refuse a ticket holders participation and send back down the mountain anyone it believes is unfit or otherwise unsafe to themselves or others on the mountain on the day.

Safety Plan

Our event safety plan includes a set of reasonably generous time limits to reach various well known ascent markers on the mountain. Participants must complete each segment of the climb within these limits. Failing to do so indicates either a lack of preparation or an inability to fully participate. To this end and for everyone’s safety, all participants failing to ascend within these various limits agree to abort their climb and be escorted off the mounting by our staff.

Personal Information

Due the the nature of the Open Climb including climate, alpine environment and the associated risks, we require a full manifest of contact information for all climbers, including ages, and medical conditions. Children under the age of 18 are to be accompanied by a suitable adult. Children under the age of 12 are not permitted.

Event Cancellation

In the unfortunate event that the weather would likely compromise the safety of participants on the event, a cancellation may be issued at any time both during or before the event. There is no postponement date. See our terms and conditions for the refund policy.

Registration on the Day

Ticketed participants need to arrive at Tahurangi Lodge for registration between 6:30am and 7:30am. Our registrars will assign climbers to groups of 10 in the order people arrive at the lodge. If you intend to participate with a friend and wish to be in the same group, ensure you arrive at the lodge at the same time. Each group will leave when full and within an assigned window; with the first group leaving around 6:45am and the last climbers leaving for the summit from Tahurangi Lodge no later 7:45am.

Public Information Brochure

Every participants must read the Public Information Brochure (PIB) available on the Open Climb page, understand its content and intentions, and agree to comply with it. By purchasing a ticket or tickets, the purchaser acknowledges they and any other intended participants (if multiple tickets) will equally read, understand and agree to abide by the PIB. Failure to comply on the day elevates risks and and will likely result in an early managed exit from the event. This is at the purchaser’s cost.

The PIB also includes an excellent video by the Mountain Safety Council on the Taranaki Maunga summit track.

Accommodation

In a first for Open Climb in 2024, and in conjunction with our friends at the Stratford Ski Club, we have been able to reserve their Manganui Lodge on the mountain for climbers on the Friday and Saturday nights of the Open Climb. This makes for a very easy start on Friday morning, a very relaxed end on Saturday, or both! Note: there is a very limited number of beds available on each night, and totally on a first come first served basis. If you wish to book this accommodation, after you have purchased your Open Climb tickets, send an email to website.tac@outlook.com with your name, contact number and email, plus the number of beds and which night/s you wish to book.  If the beds are still available a separate invoice will be sent to you requesting payment. Until payment has been made, no accommodation bookings are confirmed. Beds are $45 per person per night. Maunganui Lodge is at 1250m, has electricity, warm water and great views (weather permitting!) and the walk to or from Tahurangi Lodge at 1500m is a very mild trek compared to all other options. Topo Map here for localities.

Terms and Conditions

By purchasing a ticket or tickets, you the purchaser confirm you have read and agreed with our terms and conditions.

Tickets