shem banbury

Let’s get one thing clear before the sensible people arrive:

Rachel and I may have just set the world record for the fastest married-couple ascent of the Mangorei Track to Pouākai Hut.

No one was timing it officially.
There were no judges.
No finish tape.
Just a married couple, one watch, and the kind of urgency that turns a “nice Sunday tramp” into a full-throttle parental extraction mission.

Our time: 1:10:59.
And yes, I will be referencing it for at least the next 12 months.

Quick Info (for the sensible people)

Track: Mangorei Track to Pouākai Hut (Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki)
Distance: 5 km one way
Time: about 2 hours one way
Track style: mostly wooden steps and boardwalk, steady uphill, good fitness needed
Hut: Serviced, bookings required all year
Bonus side-quest: the Pouākai Tarns are a short wander beyond the hut

The Attempt

DOC describes Mangorei Track as mostly steps and boardwalk, climbing steadily through forest and up into alpine scrub. That is a polite way of saying: It’s a staircase that goes on long enough for you to re-evaluate your personality.
Rachel led from the front like she’d been hired as a professional hill-climber. I followed behind, breathing loudly and offering the occasional helpful comment such as:

• “We’re making good time.”
• “Are we… though?”
• “Why are there so many steps?”

The boardwalk sections are brilliant and slightly treacherous — DOC even warns they can be a tripping hazard. At some point I noticed Rachel had entered a new pace category. Not running. Not walking. A Lioness power-walk: purposeful, relentless, emotionally loaded.

The Data

Here’s what my Strava segment told us afterwards:
Distance: 5.61 km
Vertical: 662 mTime: 1:10:59

To be clear, the segment record on the leaderboard is 58:20, held by someone who is either part mountain goat or simply never stops moving.

But I’m not here to beat the record-holder. I’m here to beat… other married couples.

DOC reckons it’s a 2-hour climb for most people, so our time felt genuinely punchy — and not just because my lungs were making noises I didn’t know they could make.

The Reason We Were Moving Like That

Now for the part that makes this slightly less ridiculous. The day before, we’d walked Milli and her mate Ella into Pouākai Hut — all smiles, packs, and big plans. The original idea was to meet at Holly Hut the next day as part of a tidy little circuit.
Then the plot turned.
Overnight, Milli got sick. Proper sick. The kind where your “outdoorsy circuit plan” suddenly feels less inspiring and more like a poor administrative decision.
So this morning’s mission became very simple: “Milli is sick. We’re going up. Now.”

Special Mention: Dr Dolman

Here’s the bit worth saying plainly: Ella was brilliant.
Milli was crook, and Ella looked after her calmly and capably — so from here on out she earns her hut title: Dr Dolman.
While Rachel and I were powering up the track, Dr Dolman was up there keeping an eye on Milli, staying close, and making sure she was okay.
DOC, if you ever need a hut warden… we’ve got a name.

Why this track is such a beauty

Mangorei Track is popular for a reason. It’s close to New Plymouth, clearly formed, and it delivers that proper alpine feeling without needing a full expedition.

It climbs through regenerating forest and mountain cedar, then pops you into that open, higher landscape where the air feels sharper and everything suddenly looks bigger.

And just beyond the hut, you can head towards the Pouākai Tarns — those famous reflective pools that make even the toughest hikers suddenly start speaking in whispers.

The Wrap

A reminder that tramping isn’t always about summits and selfies — sometimes it’s just about showing up, moving together, and doing what parents do: going back up the hill.
And yes… I will be telling people we set the married-couple speed record.
Because if you can’t turn a medical extraction into a sporting achievement, what are we even doing here?