Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing was one of the few things I had decided to do while in New Zealand before leaving home. It is coined one of the best one-day-treks in the country. I bet it has got even more popular since "The Lord of the Rings" came out on screen because Mnt. Ngauruhoe in the park is featured as Mnt. Doom in the movie!
Deciding where to stay to access the hike was the hard part. I heard of people staying in Taupo, Turangi and National Park Village. I decided on the village since it was the closest and I found a lodge that offered a free shuttle service to the hike itself. http://www.thecrossingbackpackers.co.nz
This looks like a nice place and it offers a great deal but it is totally isolated. It is 6km outside of the village. In the village the 4 square / gas station is the only place to get groceries. The hostel itself is pretty bare bones. It is the first place I've stayed in so far that doesn't provide linens. It made me feel like I was back at camp (good thing I have fond memories of camp). The owners are totally down to earth and very friendly. But I do think they should invest more in the actual property instead of their website and fancy flyers.
Let's shift to the next morning!
6:45am the shuttle picks "us" up! There are 5 of us from the hostel doing the trek today. Me and 4 men that all work together as nurses in the hospital in Hamilton. Our drive lasts about 25min and the driver gives us a little chat about return times and expectations before we head out. Since each of us were planning on making it to one of the two summits the driver said he would be back at 5pm to pick us up.
Hike begins at 7:20am. Since there was a volcanic eruption in November of 2012 the path and distance of the trek has been changed. The trek used to be an actual crossing (19.4km not including summits). Now there are two choices. Hike in to the emerald lakes and back out the same way (20km not including summits) or hike the new crossing (24.5km - not enough time in one day to do either summit). The second choice is only presented by some of the shuttle / tour companies (not ours).
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/mount-tongariro-no-longer-spewing-ash-5230221
I walked into the emerald lakes and then up Mnt. Tongariro. I did not attempt Mnt. Ngauruhoe since my flyer described it as "very challenging" and taking 2-3hours. I wasn't in the mood for that type of challenge. We were blessed with an amazingly clear morning where we could see both peaks. The sun was shining so the emerald lakes were beautiful. It started to cloud over in the afternoon and half of Mnt. Nhauruhoe was covered. It was a long day and I was glad that I had packed 2 sandwiches and lots of snacks!
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