Tongariro'd

One of the most famous day hikes in New Zealand is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which is known to be a strenuous 19 km hike over the volcanos in Tongariro National Park. If the weather is bad, the shuttle buses do not operate since the trek can be seriously dangerous in the rain. Prospective hikers are warned that this is not a leisurely stroll, and that proper attire and hiking footwear are necessary. The shuttle drops people off at one end of the trail at 7:30AM and picks them up 8 hours later, so you need to make sure you are capable of walking fast enough to meet the bus at the end. I was a bit concerned over this, because I am as slow as a turtle when I climb up hills, but I decided to take the risk. We woke up Tuesday morning to a blue sky and the promises of a great day.

The trail is absolutely beautiful, and begins with a few kilometres of flat ground that were carved out by a glacier thousands of years ago. All the people on our bus blew past Danna and I, making us worry about the increased fitness level of the rest of our group. We went at our own pace though, and reached the Devil's Staircase, which brought us up 300 metres higher. At the top was the turn off to the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe, or what I like to call Mt Doom since it was where Frodo destroyed the ring in the Lord of the Rings films. To climb to the summit of Ngauruhoe, you need to be 'super fit', and it adds about 3 hours to your hike. I skipped it, as did everyone else on our bus. Mt Doom from afar is good enough for me.

From there, we walked across the Southern crater to the turn off for the optional hike to the summit of Tongariro. I had a lot of energy still, and was 2 hours ahead of the schedule the guides had given me so I decided to walk up to the summit of Tongariro, which added an extra 3km to my hike. Danna decided to skip it, so I went on my own with plans to meet her at a later rest stop. It was a fairly easy trek, and showed views to the Northwest of the farmland down below and Mt Taranaki far off in the distance. As I was returning to the main trail, I met up with a lot of people from my bus. Even though they raced down the trail for the first stretch, everyone seemed to slow down once the incline started, and I was comforted to know I wasn't falling behind. As the trail continued, I reached the peak of the hike at 1886m that gave great views into the Red Crater. It was really impossible to forget you were climbing volcanos and not just mountains. From there, there was a long, steep scree slope going downhill filled with loose rocks and a lot of dirt. People were tentatively finding their way down, but it was actually my favourite part of the hike. I felt like I was running down a sand hill. Flex your feet, swing your arms, and strut like a giant! That was my motto, and it brought me down to the Emerald Lakes which are surrounded by steam vents. When I climbed Mt Vesuvius in Italy, there was snow on top of the volcano which was a pretty convincing indicator that it wouldn't explode with me on it. On the other hand, the volcano range I was on here was still active and has erupted in my lifetime. There are signposts that give information on what to do a volcano does erupt, but the underlying message there is that you're screwed. Luckily, the lava stayed inside the volcanos, and after a relaxing lunch Danna and I kept going. We ended up walking with a man named Frank who was on our bus who made the conversation interesting as we trekked along the final stretch. The last 6km were down the other side of the range with a wonderful view of Lake Taupo, and then through the cool forest to the carpark. It wasn't until the last kilometre that my legs started to wobble.

Overall I did 22.4km, which is the second longest hike I've done. I finished with half an hour to spare, so I have to say it was a bit overhyped, but just helped to boost my self esteem. Part of me also wants to recognize the energy drink I brought along, which I purchased because I needed another water bottle. This “Loaded Sport Assassin” boasts about having 50% more electrolytes than anything other drink in New Zealand, which makes it responsible for enhancing output in high performance sports. I just got it because it was on sale. Then again, I am also privileged to have grown up hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and that experience definitely helped. Apart from being tired, I escaped with only 4 blisters, which really isn't too bad for such a long walk. Overall, it was a wonderful day in the outdoors amongst the barren landscape of lava scarred mountains.