The Tongariro Crossing
Well, what a long, hard and supremely rewarding day. We're in central North Island, next to Lake Taupo with three volcanoes very near by. So we went for a closer look!
Got up at 6.15am and it was Cold, we're talking two jumpers, hat and gloves. Bus takes us up to the start of the Tongariro Crossing. Its a beautiful clear, crisp morning at high altitude (about 9OOm). Before us is an 18km trek through and over active volcanic mountains.
It starts fairly easily with about an hour of walking next to a stream which came from a soda spring. Then there was a steep clamber up 300m of solidified lava in the form of giant steps known as the 'Devil's Staircase'. Once at the top of this we had a choice to make: continue along the track or take a 3 hour side track to the top of the classic cone shaped Mount Ngauruhoe. An idea of the steapness of this hill can be recieved from the fact it is a 1km walk over a 600m ascent and all this up a huge pile of gravel with steam coming off the top. We HAD to do it.
Before we'd even started the climb a shout come from up the mountain. We looked up to see a rock the size of a chair hurtling down the walking track at high speed. It didn't hit anyone but we began to question the wisdom of our choice. We scrammbled up the only evident rock ridge towards the steam. Exhausted, we reached the top, 2287m up. The steam was coming from the ridge of the crater. The rocks round the rim were warm/hot with steam belching, kettlelike from cracks between them. There was one small patch of snow up there and inside the crater were actually icicles. Looking outward we saw a huge amount of the North Island but most prominant of course was the other two volcanoes: Tongariro and Ruapehu, which last erupted in 1996. As usual the photoes cant possibly convey the scene but you'll get an idea.
Having finished with the top it was time for the dreaded descent. We had been warned not to go too fast because if you trip you dont stop falling and tumbling 600m down volcanic rock is bad for the skin. So the trick is to practrcally ski down the skree, which we did. At the bottom there was a feeling that we were lucky to be in one piece.
Anyway, back to the main track. We walked across the floor of 'South Crater', then skirted a dark red crater followed by three small 'emerald' pools. As we reached Mount Tongariro we saw the Blue lake in its crater. From then on it was downward to the end via some more steam, this time it was from some hot springs.
This was one of those days where we've seen so much we can't remember it all but with our aching limbs and dust in every oriffice we also have a bundle of photos. A selection of which are attached for your perrusal.
All the best
Jamie
Got up at 6.15am and it was Cold, we're talking two jumpers, hat and gloves. Bus takes us up to the start of the Tongariro Crossing. Its a beautiful clear, crisp morning at high altitude (about 9OOm). Before us is an 18km trek through and over active volcanic mountains.
It starts fairly easily with about an hour of walking next to a stream which came from a soda spring. Then there was a steep clamber up 300m of solidified lava in the form of giant steps known as the 'Devil's Staircase'. Once at the top of this we had a choice to make: continue along the track or take a 3 hour side track to the top of the classic cone shaped Mount Ngauruhoe. An idea of the steapness of this hill can be recieved from the fact it is a 1km walk over a 600m ascent and all this up a huge pile of gravel with steam coming off the top. We HAD to do it.
Before we'd even started the climb a shout come from up the mountain. We looked up to see a rock the size of a chair hurtling down the walking track at high speed. It didn't hit anyone but we began to question the wisdom of our choice. We scrammbled up the only evident rock ridge towards the steam. Exhausted, we reached the top, 2287m up. The steam was coming from the ridge of the crater. The rocks round the rim were warm/hot with steam belching, kettlelike from cracks between them. There was one small patch of snow up there and inside the crater were actually icicles. Looking outward we saw a huge amount of the North Island but most prominant of course was the other two volcanoes: Tongariro and Ruapehu, which last erupted in 1996. As usual the photoes cant possibly convey the scene but you'll get an idea.
Having finished with the top it was time for the dreaded descent. We had been warned not to go too fast because if you trip you dont stop falling and tumbling 600m down volcanic rock is bad for the skin. So the trick is to practrcally ski down the skree, which we did. At the bottom there was a feeling that we were lucky to be in one piece.
Anyway, back to the main track. We walked across the floor of 'South Crater', then skirted a dark red crater followed by three small 'emerald' pools. As we reached Mount Tongariro we saw the Blue lake in its crater. From then on it was downward to the end via some more steam, this time it was from some hot springs.
This was one of those days where we've seen so much we can't remember it all but with our aching limbs and dust in every oriffice we also have a bundle of photos. A selection of which are attached for your perrusal.
All the best
Jamie
posted by PeterZ at 12:44 AM
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