Looking up along the initially wide and smooth track that rises gently up the tussock valley there is the cone of Ngauruhoe in the distance. Beyond , the valley becomes filled with fresh basalt rubble, and the track becomes rockier, hemmed against the northern valley wall. A clamber alongside a small stream, and the track opens onto a long basin curling around the foot of Ngauruhoe. The Soda Springs, is a ten-minute side trip. Beyond, the track climbs out of the valley directly up the volcano's steep face. The climb is tough - not called 'devil's staircase' for a joke! - and it takes around 45 minutes to ascend 250m, with the reward of stunning panoramic views from the scoria saddle. It was a brillant sunny and clear we saw the snow capped cone of Mount Taranaki in the distance to the west.