The Tongariro Crossing

We were up at 5:30am in order to trek the Tongariro Crossing, one of the world's best one day hike. We caught our mini bus at 6am which took us to the start of the 19.4km hike. It was an early start but we were glad to be up and starting the hike in the cool without many other hikers around. We watched the sunrise behind Mt Ruapehu as we began the trek through a stunning lava field. It was a brilliant blue sunny day as we hiked up to the south crater situated next to Mt Ngauruhoe, the mountain used as mount doom in the lord of the rings. As we crossed the yellow sulphur crater the clouds descended and soon we were immersed in thick cloud, which made the walk even more surreal. The hike up to the red crater, the highest point on the trail at 1886m, was tough as we hiked up the steep slope on thick black volcanic sand. At the top the cloud was so thick we could barely see our hands in front of our faces, though luckily the trail was well signposted and where the black rocks ended to either side all that could be seen was swirling mist (no go zone).
 

From the red crater we hiked down to emerald lakes, a series of turquoise volcanic lakes, where the clouds parted just enough to allow us a glimpse of the stunning lakes. Once we reached the lakes we were the majority of the way out of the clouds so we could really appreciate the dramatic volcanic scenery of the hike. The mountain was covered in the dark reds, yellows, blacks and browns of the volcanic deposits. Steam vents filled with sulphur could be seen smoking around the sides of the lakes and a bright orange river could be seen winding its way towards one of the lakes. It truly was one of the most dramatic and spectacular sights of my life. We sat by the lakes taking in the view but eventually we sadly had to move on as we still had a long hike ahead.

On the way off the mountain we bumped - almost literally as the cloud had descended again - into the two girls we befriended on our cruise in the Bay of Islands. It was great to catch up on the way down and we got some good tips on the places we have yet to go. Funny how small the world can be at times. Towards the end of the hike it was possible to see for miles across the national park as we were still so high up. We could even see a nearby volcano throwing clouds of smoke in big plumes up into the air, which really hit home how actively volcanic the area still is. There were constant signs and reminders informing you that you were in a lahar hazard zone or that you were standing on a 40 year old pyroclastic flow, or to inform you that you should run as fast as you can at any sign of the volcanos erupting. It was a fantastic day but it was great to put our feet up at the end, and the bus ride back at the end of the hike, almost to the door of our campervan was a blessing. We have said if we have time on the way back to Auckland and its good weather we would do the hike again, though without the cloud it would be a very different experience.