Tongariro Northern Circuit

This was the first of our 'great walks' in NZ. And it was pretty great! It's a very busy hike as it traverses part of the Alpine Crossing which is immensely popular! So there were plenty of people as we headed up to Ngauruhoe, but once we turned off from the crossing, we were pretty much alone! It was a long hot slog across a desert to the first hut, but a lovely waterfall was waiting for us to cool down in. We were going to spend 3 days doing the walk, but we made it to the first hut and weren't quite expecting such close proximity of sleeping arrangements... the bunks were pretty up close and personal with all the other smelly hikers! What with only a 3 hour hike on our middle day and the poor weather forecast for the day after, we decided to get up super super early and just finish the whole 23.5km in one day...
We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise over Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom) and Ruapehu. It was indeed a long slog, which Maddie didn't think she'd make, but the pint at the end was worth it! And Andy got to celebrate his birthday in a restaurant, not next to a smelly hiker!Read more