On the morning of the 13th of November, we woke up at 5am. On purpose. We donned our hiking shoes, rain jackets, and backpacks (ok, just one backpack, which Sven carried), and caught a shuttle to the base of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The crossing is a well-known one day hike that meanders between the Tongariro and Ngauruhoe mountains.
It started off easy enough with a walk through some ancient lava fields. Then just before the first steep climb of the hike, the signposts got a little scary. "Are you sure you're prepared for this walk? Are you fit enough? Do you have 125 litres of water with you? If not, turn back now!". Sven had dutifully packed about 6 litres of water in the backpack, which he was already regretting. I figured we'd be fine.
The first steep climb took us to a flat, barren field. But hardly boring - the rivers of packed ice and snow on either side were quite beautiful.
After crossing the field, we started the next steep climb along the ridge of the Red Crater. This where the scenery really started to take our breath away (and not just because we were hiking up a steep hill). The vast, barren rockiness was quite unlike anything we'd seen before.
At the top of the ridge, we were treated to a view of the Emerald Lakes. A very appropriate name, given their vibrant colour and bold contrast against such a bleak landscape.
The atmosphere was convivial; the hikers cheerfully took turns taking pictures of each other against the stunning background.
That was last steep climb of the hike. It was really wasn't that bad. For the next leg, we descended the ridge and headed towards the blue lake.
Without forgetting to look back on the way.
At the lake, we stopped for some lunch and soaked up the surroundings before starting the downhill stage of the hike. We passed through some thick cloud and icy pathways on the way.
And then enjoyed this view for much of the (very long) descent. It took a lot more time than we thought to get down; the steep ascents of the hike were very manageable, whereas the long and winding descent was a real killer on the legs.
The very last part of the hike took us through a forest, which was the perfect way to end. And guess what - it started raining! But we were lucky that the weather was good for most of the hike.
To conclude: this was by far one of the highlights of our entire trip. It took us about seven hours to do the crossing (some maniacs do it in four, but when do they stop to look at all the pretty things?!), and we couldn't stop talking about it afterwards. It's a popular hike, so you'll never get it all to yourself, but it's truly worth it and something we'll never forget.
Next: New Zealand Part 5