Oturere Hut, and Kaimanawa Ranges in the background. Photo NC.

This place marks the transition between two very different environments. Those who started their journey on the Mangatepopo Track (west side of the mountain) will leave at this point the highly mineral and very rugged landscape, rich in spectacular volcanic landforms, which they had entered in the upper Mangatepopo Valley. From here on they will be traversing the eastern slopes of the massif, which lie between the lofty cone of Ngaruhoe in the west, and the wide expanses of the Desert Road plain in the east (more on next view).