The Tongariro Alpine Crossing

With only two more days to go before we were due to be in Wellington to pick up Megan, we hit our final stop before the long stretch south.  Tongariro National Park is only an hour and a half from Taupo, and on a good day you can see the mountains towering over the southern shores of the lake.  It's claim to fame is its being a filming location for one of the most iconic landscapes in Lord of the Rings - Mount Doom.  Named Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom is such a better name), it is the perfect volcanic cone reaching into the heavens, and the summit is often shrouded in a veil of clouds.  It is also the home of what is touted as "the best day walk in all of New Zealand" - The Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  This is what we came for.  

As Velma huffed and puffed up and up to the edge of the National Park, the air temperature dropped drastically.  For the first time since our road trip began, we were in the high mountains, and it was damned cold.  Time to dig through those boxes for some winter clothes.  We had planned on doing The Crossing the following morning, but when the day broke the weather wasn't looking ideal for the trek.  The mountains have notoriously fickle weather, and a beautiful bright and clear morning can turn into a gusty rainstorm with no visibility at a moment's notice.  This morning was overcast and cold, and learning that there was a possibility of hail and gusting winds at the summit in the late afternoon, I decided it would better to wait until the following day, when the weather was predicted to be nothing but sun.  That turned out to be a fantastic decision.

The next day we woke up to glorious sun and cloudless skies.  At 8am we shuttled to the trail head along with hundreds of other tourists to begin the 7 hour, 19.4 kilometer tramp up to and across the ridge of Mt Tongariro before descending down the other side of the mountain.  The hike started out fairly easy, with a board walked path leading through a narrowing volcanic valley towards Soda Springs just before the first steep ascent of the hike.  We reached Soda Springs in just over an hour and took the opportunity to use the bathroom since there weren't any until the last leg of the trail, and the terrain offers no shelter in case of emergencies.  Then the climb began.  

The first steep section of the track climbed a staircase until we reached the Southern Crater area of the mountain.  We had some lunch and enjoyed the views.  The weather was so good you could even see the ever elusive Mount Taranaki and its snow capped peak poking out all the way from the west coast of the North Island!  After the brief rest we crossed the Southern Crater area, which provided excellent views to the summit of Mt Doom.  We began the second and final steep ascent of the trail, and this one was a bit rougher.  There was no staircase, only a loose field of volcanic rock that shifted beneath your every step.  We trudged on, finally reaching the top.

The view west from our lunch stop - That's Mt Taranaki off in the distance

It looks like Mars!

We had arrived at the Red Crater, and this was the halfway point of the hike. From here we were treated to a view of the North Island of New Zealand that almost stretched from coast to coast.  Directly below was the Red Crater of Mt Tongariro, with steaming vents burping eggy smells that filled the air.  Across from valley below, the Blue Lake sparkled in the distance, and you could see the town of Taupo on the northern side of the giant lake.  On the far side of the ridge, shimmering in the sun like an alien jewel in the crown of the mountain, were the famous Emerald Lakes.  Words can't really describe the awesome color that danced from the surface of the water, and no pictures I took were able to do it justice (and Kayleigh can attest, I took many trying get it). It was simply surreal.  From the top of the ridge we laughed at the struggling hikers all around as they slipped and slid down the steep rocky surface as we skied right on by using our walking poles for balance.  They may not be stylish, but damn it they come in handy.

Looking down into the Red Crater. (Umm, does that volcanic vent look like a…err…nevermind)

The Blue Lake from the highest point in the hike

The Emerald Lakes - this photo just doesn't compare to seeing them

As chance would have it, as we were descending the far side of the ridge, we happened to run into a Belgian couple that we had shared a campsite with in both Rotorua and Coromandel.  We exchanged phone numbers in order to meet up in Wellington in a few days and continued along our way.  We lunched at the shores of one of the Emerald Lakes and watched people interact with the lake and their environment.  Some kids threw rocks into the lake, some people took off their boots and put their feet in the water.  After our rest we started the latter half of the hike, across the final valley floor before a small climb back to the ridge of the Blue Lake.  We crested the ridge and before us lie the long snaking pathway descending to the bottom.

The Blue Lake up close

One of the Emerald Lakes up close

By this point I had to pee like a racehorse and we were trying to speed to the bathroom a little over a mile from the Blue Lake.  I made it to the restrooms just in time and we took a quick break before making the final push.  It was interesting to watch the landscape change as we crossed from the Alpine region into the Sub Alpine region and again back below the tree line.  By the time we reached the tree line both Kayleigh and I were hurting, and we were hoping beyond hope that this corner would be the last…Blast! Nothing but more trail.  Dogs barking. Shoulders sore from the backpack, arms from the walking sticks. Ankles, knees and hips worked to the point of fatigue.  When we finally emerged from the forest into the car lot we let out a sigh of relief and accomplishment before collapsing onto the ground in the shade of the trees.

Follow the yellow brick road…forever!

After ascending about 2400 feet and descending about 4000 feet over the course of 7 hours and 19.4 kilometers (roughly 12 miles), it is the longest trail either of us has ever completed in terms of both distance and time, as well as the largest ascent and descent.  That said…both Kayleigh and I agree - Pinnacles was harder.