Saturday 9th April Pete and I finally got to do the Tongariro Crossing, something we have been talking about for a long time. The weather was not good during the week and even when I rang Discovery Lodge, whom we had chosen to stay with, on Friday at lunch time the weather forecast was inconclusive. We decided to risk it and left Havelock North at 4pm after both getting off work early. As we travelled into Taupo the sky was clear and we were hopeful for a good day to come. We were booked for the second shuttle to the start point which left the motel at 6.15am. I for one was not sorry that the first bus leaving at 5.45am was full by the time we booked! At 6.35am we started our trek (it would have been dark for the first bus load). The track starts off with an easy walk through to the first toilet stop at Soda Springs taking appoximately one hour. I took the opportunity here, after glancing UP at the next part of the track, to discard some clothing as I could see we would be soon working up a sweat. This part is called the staircase and sure enough there were steps......steps......and more steps. However both of us felt that this was not as strenuous as the goat track on Te Mata Peak. This took us to the base of Mt Ngauruhoe. From here it was up to the highest point at 1886 metres where the views across to the Red Crater in one direction, to Mt Tongariro in another, and down to the Emerald Lakes were amazing. I was enjoying this moment until I realised that the next part of the track was what we had been warned about, loose shale on a step downhill ridge. I was not happy tackling this part of the track but after a few stern words from Pete saying well what the hell else was I going to do I had to go for it. Safely down (Pete ran and jumped his way down whilst I edged VERY carefully) we stopped at the Emerald Lakes for a much needed food stop. The track from here on in across to the Blue Lake and then down to Keretahi Hut was very easy and dare I say it, a bit boring once past the Lake. From the hut down although only 3.1 kms seemed to take ages. It was great for most of these last few kilometres that we were walking through native forest - a change from the rest of the terrain.
We were lucky to have a perfect day in which to complete our Tongariro Crossing. There was not a cloud in the sky and no wind. From one point in the track we could see across to Mr Egmont and for a lot of the last part of the track across to Lake Taupo. At times one felt they could have been on the moon and it was interesting to see the old larva flows. We took 5 hours 40 minutes to complete the 19.4kms with three longer stops and several photo/looking at the sights stops. We are very lucky to have such a beautiful area accessible to us. Another thing crossed off our bucket list, although we would definately do it again.
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| Some of the staircase |
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Staircase completed. In the distance we could see Mr Egmont |
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| The Red Crater |
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| The shale track down to Emerald Lakes |
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| Panoramic of the Lakes |
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Emerald Lake
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| Toilet with a view, Keretahi Hut |
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| End of track through native bush |
