Tongariro Crossing

I had to get up really early. A few minutes before 6:00 am I was picked up by the transport service to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing - one of the most famous day hikes in New Zealand. At 7:30 I started my journey through the scenic volcanic area. It was cold, I can tell you, mabe 5°C. I started out wearing a bonnet and gloves. After maybe half an hour the sun was high enough to reach the trail and then it got warmer every minute. Many people do this trail every day, so sometimes you feel like being in a big caravan on its way through the mountains. After about three quarters of an hour I took the opportunity to do a little extra walk (300 meters) to the "soda springs" - almost no people there which was wonderful. Then, the trail got steeper, until I reached a high plateau after maybe 400 meters of ascent. At the end of the plateau there is the beautiful South crater where I had a little break. Then, the steepest ascent came, another maybe 200 meters, a bit challenging, but more than doable. At the top you arrive at the highest point of the crossing, a ridge at Red crater some 1,800 meters above sea level, and can enjoy a stunning view. Volcanos, Lake Taupos, Emerald Lakes, Blue Lake and more... When you are up there, you know why you wanted to do the Crossing! 😄The descent to follow is quite tricky because it is pretty slippery with sand and gravel. I passed the Emerald Lakes and after short ascent I reached the Blue Lake where I had my lunch break. After the Blue Lake there is just one direction: down. You have a beautiful view on Lake Taupo but with the kilometers moving on it gets a bit monotonous. For some kilometers the environment does not change very much, you walk through heathlands. I did not enjoy this that much, but the last two, three kilometers were in the forest which was very nice again. Overall, it was a very beautiful 20 km hike with some 800 meters of ascent and some 1,200 of descent. Unfortunately, I had to wait very long for my transport back to Taupo. Back in Taupo, I was rather tired🙃Read more