Because of some extreme thunderstorms the ski mountain closed early for the year (this was going to be the last weekend anyway), so my plan to ski is scrapped. I was hoping to ski in NZ even if it was just sloppy spring skiing. Oh well.
So last minute I decided to hike the Tongariro crossing, which is supposed to be on the TA, but my unexpected detour a couple days ago took me past it. It’s supposed to be one of the best hikes in the world, but it’s also supposed to be extremely crowded. It didn’t disappoint on either expectation.
To get to both the start and end I took a shuttle from Whakapapa village. There are a ton of busses from different towns bringing people in from all over. The hike starts near Mt Ngauruhoe (also known for being Mt Doom) and goes up the pass on the side of it. Unfortunately people are no longer allowed to climb Ngauruhoe.
Then it passes over the red crater, with some views of some crazy green lakes and steaming rock. Amazing views all around!
Not long after that I ran into Audrey and James (who I was hiking with before Auckland), although they were going the other direction because that’s where the TA is supposed to go, so sadly I wasn’t able to hike with them, but it was nice seeing them and catch up a bit!
I made it down before two and was able to make the 2:30 bus, it threatened rain on the way down, but managed to hold off until after I was on the bus. The rest of the day was rainy and I hid at the holiday park. As a bonus Will and Alex showed up at the holiday park, I hadn’t seen them until before Auckland either.
In summary the hike was really too crowded, particularly on the uphill sections when people slowed down, but it was really visually spectacular and well worth doing in spite of the crowds.
Looks gorgeous from the pics!