The Tongariro Crossing

Up To The Peak

There are many top walking tracks in New Zealand. The country is perfectly designed for them. Some can take up to 9 days to complete, some stretch you across lakes and rivers, up high onto snow fields or down low into vast valley's. Some tracks tramp you across flat fields of alpine scrub whilst others lead you up to the loftiest barren peaks of some pretty challenging mountains. One has all this and to top it all off - has a couple of volcanoes thrown into the mix as well. It only takes 8 hours and is considered the best one-day walk in NZ. It is The Tongariro Crossing and I just had to give it a go.

To start off your picked up at 6.20am. To me however it was 5.20am because the clocks had gone forward an hour for daylight saving the night before. The Tongariro National Park (NZ's first national park) lies south of Lake Taupo and incorporates a number of walking options and three volcanoes - Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. There were actually a lot of factors that almost stopped me doing this walk. First, a recent dispute over guiding permits meant that officially there was no-one to take anyone on the walk. It's because some of the track crosses private land and at the time 'officially' guided walks were off. You could still go up on your own - but in winter - they recommend you have mountain experience - especially as the tracks are covered in snow, you need specialist equipment and the weather can change very quickly on the mountains making a potentially hazardous experience. However I did manage to find a guided group going and booked myself on.

The second factor which almost stopped me walking was the weather. When we arrived at the start of the track a wall of cloud had ascended over the peak between the volcanoes of Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. If that cloud was there when we arrived then we would have to turn back and only complete half of the track. With a bit of help from above - every time we got closer to the cloud it seemed to move further away. It was like chasing a rainbow but never reaching it. By the time we got to 'the decision point' the cloud had departed and we had perfect skies for the rest of the walk.

The final problem I had was that about an hour in, I wonder off track place my crampons (they are the big spikes you put onto your boots for walking in snow) onto a volcanic rock and take my pictures. Then I walk off without my crampons. Twenty minutes down the track I realise and run back, but the problem with these volcanic rocks is they all look the same - because they are all the same. I couldn't find them anywhere and I thought that was it - I would have to turn back. Luckily my guide said conditions were not too bad and she let me carry on. So after all that I could complete the Tongariro Crossing and it was all worth it.

The track starts off flat as you head towards Soda Springs from your starting point at the west of the national park. As you trek on through the Mangatepopo valley, you have the continual view of Mount Ngauruhoe looming over you on your right hand side. Ngauruhoe is the youngest volcano in the park and stands at 2287m. It's estimated to have formed in the last 2500 years and provides a perfect symmetrical single vent volcano. It is perhaps better known as Mount Doom in the 'Lord Of The Ring's' trillogy. It can be climbed in summer but it's snowy peaks are only ttempted by experienced mountaineers in the winter. As you cross the valley you can clearly see the lava flows that cascaded down the slopes of Ngauruhoe when it last erupted in 1975.

At the end of the valley section and just pass Soda Springs you reach the Devils Staircase which takes you up to the saddle between Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro (1967m). It is here that you start the climb, the crampons come out (well I borrowed the guide's pair) for the second half of the climb and you trek upwards along a snow covered track and over volcanic terrain. When you reach the top your at a height of approximately 1650m and are essentially sandwhich'ed between two volcano's. As you reach the top, known as the South Crater, you get a full view of the valley over the other side. From here you can actually see the coasts on both sides of the country. One way your looking over the Tongariro National Park to the east where the Pacific can be seen on the horizon, whilst on the other side, looking west, is the Tasman Sea.

After more photo's we continue upwards to the highest point on the track. First you have to navigate yourself around some pretty narrow ledges at worryingly high positions and then clamber up for about 20 minutes in what is the most exhausting part of the day before reaching the peak. We had lunch up here. It's an area known as the Red Crater, a volcanic remnant from a very old eruption, now a circular hole of red rock units. You would think that the top (1900m) would be pretty cold and I think it normally is, but we were kept warm by the ground on which we sat. The Red Crater point sits above a still very active region and fumeroles vent out hot steam. I could only sit down for about 20 minutes before my rear end started to actually burn.

To get down to the other side of the peak where sits the Emerald Lakes, we used a method no-one on our group was expecting. Our guide walks us laterally across the steep snow-covered slope, then tells us to get on our bums and slide down. Everyone thought she was joking but she wasn't. It was the best part of the walk and we wern't even walking. You fly down the slope and a fast pace, as snow is flung up into your face. You reach the base in record time, if completely soaked. The Emerald Lakes had pretty much frozen over but there were some sulphur-yellow coloured lakes and streams still visible.

As you continue, you end up traversing around the very steep northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, where I was suprised we didn't lose anyone down the slope on the way. As you move around the mountain - the second great view comes into sight. You look north and can see the whole of Lake Taupo in the background. I could see where I have been living and working for the last two weeks, and you realise how large that lake actually is. Eventually you make it down off the slope and zig-zag to Ketetahi Hutt. From here it was a final rest before the last two hours, seeing you continue down the mountain, through tussock plains and then into native forest before reaching the end.

After completing The Tongariro Crossing and feeling chuffed with myself, I head back to Taupo, collapse, sleep and then wake up in agony (around my foot area). I later end up going to hospital to find that I have stretched a ligament in the arch of my foot. But for the incredible views, the challenging walk, the snow slides and the fact that I was surrounded by a number of active volcanoes (one of which was LOTR's Mount Doom) - I would do it all again tomorrow - if I could still walk that is.