Tongariro Alpine Crossing
This morning we were rudely woken by our alarms at the unsociable hour of 04:15! A quick unplug of the power cable later (important to do this before you drive off...) and we were headed towards Tongariro, being treated to a fabulous sunrise on the way. Unfortunately we were also treated to a lorry speeding in the other direction over a patch of road with loose top surface (temporary speed limit said 30km/h, they were doing at least 70km/h) the consequence of which was a huge chip in Wendy's windscreen. Unable to do anything about it for now, we continued on to the 'Security Car Park' I had booked. This turned out to be just a clearing in a wooded area, with the 'Office' being an old bus parked up in the 'car park'. Bleary-eyed, we gulped some breakfast and visited the 'Office' to pay for tickets on the Mountain Shuttle - exciting! (But literally freezing - the first clear night we've had here and my God was it cold)
At 6:30 prompt the Mountain Shuttle picked us up and took us to the other end of the crossing - by 7:05, we were off! I think we were one of the first on the track - the sun was still rising behind the volcano and despite the cold night and shade, the air here was rather warm - an odd volcanic activity thing I suppose. This continued along the first valley, which soon rose into a steep stepped climb. Truly gut-busting, I was greatly resenting the big hill we'd tackled on the mountain bikes yesterday. Making it to the saddle was a relief, and a flat patch next to the South crater provided welcome respite before the climb up to the 9km mark.
At this point we took a 3km detour to summit Mount Tongariro. Although painful on our tired legs, it was certainly worth it. From the top we could see the Blue Lake as well as Mount N and some snow-capped peaks. The descent from this summit was enjoyable as it was punctuated with a 10am lunch. Next, we were back on the slightly busier (as later busses / slower people arrived) main track from which we could then see Red Crater, which has been suitably if unoriginally named. A sandy descent followed, from which we could see the Emerald Lakes shimmering below. I even perched near them to empty my boots of sand and gravel a they really were pretty.
The track led us on to the side of Blue Lake (again, very literally named) before an ascent onto a ridge before the final descent into the opposite valley. From here we could see the 'car park' and the preceding bush, so w're a little confused as to how 9km remained! Turns out the path down weaved a great deal, but the train was easy and covers with the first flora and fauna we'd seen all day. At this point the sun was rather strong as it was midday and in hindsight this is where I should have sun creamed my neck *properly*. Owch. By the time we reached the bush, 4km from the end, we were glad of its cover! However, we were still enjoying the tramping and finished six and a half hours after starting, covering 16 miles in total.
I think Wendy was pleased to see us as she was absolutely sweltering, and we took her straight back to Taupo to get her windscreen fixed. I'm amazed that they managed to repair chips that are so large in windscreens. I actually really wanted to watch the guy do it to see how it worked, but felt that because I was older than about ten, I couldn't legitimately ask to do so, very unsatisfying!
To tip off a fabulous day, we wandered along some warm grey sand at the edge of Lake Taupo, and had a mini paddle. This didn't turn into a full blown swim as my paddles often do for two reasons: the water was very chilly, made to feel colder by the heat of the day, and more importantly there was a 'No Swimming' sign...
I'd just like to end by thanking mother nature for such fantastic weather today. I'm sure it will not continue, but this was a crucial day and boy did you deliver!
This morning we were rudely woken by our alarms at the unsociable hour of 04:15! A quick unplug of the power cable later (important to do this before you drive off...) and we were headed towards Tongariro, being treated to a fabulous sunrise on the way. Unfortunately we were also treated to a lorry speeding in the other direction over a patch of road with loose top surface (temporary speed limit said 30km/h, they were doing at least 70km/h) the consequence of which was a huge chip in Wendy's windscreen. Unable to do anything about it for now, we continued on to the 'Security Car Park' I had booked. This turned out to be just a clearing in a wooded area, with the 'Office' being an old bus parked up in the 'car park'. Bleary-eyed, we gulped some breakfast and visited the 'Office' to pay for tickets on the Mountain Shuttle - exciting! (But literally freezing - the first clear night we've had here and my God was it cold)
At 6:30 prompt the Mountain Shuttle picked us up and took us to the other end of the crossing - by 7:05, we were off! I think we were one of the first on the track - the sun was still rising behind the volcano and despite the cold night and shade, the air here was rather warm - an odd volcanic activity thing I suppose. This continued along the first valley, which soon rose into a steep stepped climb. Truly gut-busting, I was greatly resenting the big hill we'd tackled on the mountain bikes yesterday. Making it to the saddle was a relief, and a flat patch next to the South crater provided welcome respite before the climb up to the 9km mark.
At this point we took a 3km detour to summit Mount Tongariro. Although painful on our tired legs, it was certainly worth it. From the top we could see the Blue Lake as well as Mount N and some snow-capped peaks. The descent from this summit was enjoyable as it was punctuated with a 10am lunch. Next, we were back on the slightly busier (as later busses / slower people arrived) main track from which we could then see Red Crater, which has been suitably if unoriginally named. A sandy descent followed, from which we could see the Emerald Lakes shimmering below. I even perched near them to empty my boots of sand and gravel a they really were pretty.
The track led us on to the side of Blue Lake (again, very literally named) before an ascent onto a ridge before the final descent into the opposite valley. From here we could see the 'car park' and the preceding bush, so w're a little confused as to how 9km remained! Turns out the path down weaved a great deal, but the train was easy and covers with the first flora and fauna we'd seen all day. At this point the sun was rather strong as it was midday and in hindsight this is where I should have sun creamed my neck *properly*. Owch. By the time we reached the bush, 4km from the end, we were glad of its cover! However, we were still enjoying the tramping and finished six and a half hours after starting, covering 16 miles in total.
I think Wendy was pleased to see us as she was absolutely sweltering, and we took her straight back to Taupo to get her windscreen fixed. I'm amazed that they managed to repair chips that are so large in windscreens. I actually really wanted to watch the guy do it to see how it worked, but felt that because I was older than about ten, I couldn't legitimately ask to do so, very unsatisfying!
To tip off a fabulous day, we wandered along some warm grey sand at the edge of Lake Taupo, and had a mini paddle. This didn't turn into a full blown swim as my paddles often do for two reasons: the water was very chilly, made to feel colder by the heat of the day, and more importantly there was a 'No Swimming' sign...
I'd just like to end by thanking mother nature for such fantastic weather today. I'm sure it will not continue, but this was a crucial day and boy did you deliver!
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