Fitness challenge: Conquering the Hakas

The selfie at the summit is compulsory.

If you haven't tackled the stairs to the Hakarimata summit then you're bound to have heard of others who have.

It seems everyone's doing them, so I figured I'd see what it was all about.

The first time I climbed the stairs - all 1349 of them - one sunny Saturday before Christmas, it was busy with super-fit guys running up the stairs, others with bags of metal across their shoulders (to replenish the metal on the steps that's worn away in places) to families with young children.

Because it was so busy, I had to pull over and let others past, but this gave me a chance to catch my breath and do plenty of stretches.

The walk starts out from the Brownlee Ave carpark in Ngaruawahia and winds its way up to the base where you can check out the old dam that used to service the township.

It's a good place to do some stretches after the warm-up walk from the carpark. From there, the climb begins.

I'm not gonna lie: if your fitness isn't great, the first time you do this you'll wonder what the hell you were thinking. I got a quarter of the way up when my legs felt like lead. But I remembered a friend's advice: take it at your own pace.

Wondering how much further I had to go I saw the sign that tells you you're halfway to the summit. Surely not!

Trying my best to expel the negative self-talk in my head, I trudged on. Stopping again to catch my breath, a group of women coming back were encouraging. "You're nearly to the top, you can do it!"

Sure enough, after another four flights of stairs I looked to my right to see a path leading to the summit tower. What a relief! I'd made it to the top in exactly an hour.

I liken the climb to giving birth ... you think the pain and exhaustion is never going to end until all of a sudden it's over. The euphoria at having made it to the top is enough to fuel the trip back down.

I started the trip back walking the stairs, but my calf and thigh muscles were protesting and it was actually easier to jog back down.

My legs and butt were definitely sore for a few days after - I couldn't wear heels to work for four days - but it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. Stopping to stretch often seems to be the key.

I employed that strategy again when I did the climb a second time a couple of weeks ago. It was just as tough going up but I had none of the pain from the first time around and wore heels to work the next day.

The second time the weather was cooler and a bit drizzly so I had to watch my step on the job down. But my competitive self was rapt to knock nine minutes off my first-time round trip time of 90 minutes. I'll definitely be back to do it again - along with half of the rest of the Waikato!

Do: Stretch a lot and stop as often as you need to.

Don't: Wear light grey tight-fitting shorts. By the time you get back to the carpark it'll look like you've wet yourself!

Take: A water bottle and your phone for the obligatory selfie at the summit.

Enjoy: Soaking in that beautiful Kiwi bush - albeit as you're gasping for breath.

Great workout for: cardio, thighs, calves and butt.

If there's a class or a type of exercise you'd like us to feature in this column, email danielle.nicholson@nzme.co.nz.