We had heard many good things about the Tongariro National Park and this was our next stop from Wellington. The scenery very different to the stunning south island, but we already knew that couldn't be beaten. The north definitely reminded me more of the Peak District in the UK with many more rolling hills and beautiful greenery rather than the alpine setting in the south island.
As we approached Tongariro we saw the magnificent snow covered volcanoes overlooking the landscape in a grandiose fashion. The range included the famous Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom from Lord of the rings -haven't seen it -but so I'm told) and the Tongariro range that erupted only recently (in geological terms) and blew itself up. It was thought to have been three times larger than Mt Doom and that would have had it on the same scale as Mt Kilimanjaro!
The famous trek in the area is known as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and supposedly one of the best one day hikes in the world. A 19.4km marathon and in the winter guided because of the frequent need for crampons. The peak elevation being the red crater at 1886m.
We booked our tour for the following morning with an early start at 5.15am! Our guide Sarah was a pationate Kiwi who was instantly likeable. She was so enthusiastic despite guiding the same route for over 8 years. I find these people incredible. I hope I can be like that when I finally settle in a job.
We set off at 730 am along a winding path along with 15 others in the group. We were educated about the landscape and recent volcanic activity, including that these were active and could erupt any time! The views were spectacular especially as we ascended, with Mt Doom bearing over us on the right hand side.
We trekked further up a notorious 40 minute climb known as the 'Devil's staircase', which to be honest wasn't too difficult.... Even Sophia didn't complain about the uphill, maybe my psychotherapy is working!
We walked further up to the red crater, an active part of the volcano where we stopped and had lunch. By this time and altitude the weather had changed and the temperature well below freezing. However to our surprise we sat on hot rocks, heated by the geothermal activity just below us... It was quite an experience! Thankfully it sparred us and didn't erupt during our lunch break. We then headed down to the beautiful turquoise 'Emerald lake' and saw the large frozen blue crater lake in the distance. We made our way across the snow covered plateau between Mr Tongariro and Mt Doom and having been trekking for 5 hours the cold was taking its toll. Still another 4 to go!
Once we crossed this plateau we traversed several dubious snow paths, often with 100ft drops to one side, and enjoyed the magnificent views of Lake Taupo in the distance. We eventually arrived back at the bus after 8 long hours and it truly was one of the best hikes we'd ever done.
