Tongariro Crossing – A truly “Great” walk

I dislike when people use the word ‘epic’ to describe something, I am sure you have heard it before. “The party last night was EPIC“, “The powder on the mountain was EPIC“, “My niece’s birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese was EPIC“. The word itself has such strong connotation and using it in these forms takes away from it for me. However, when talking about Tongariro Crossing, there truly is only on word to describe and encapsulate the experience: EPIC!

Rated as one of the top ten walks in the world by National Geographic and one of New Zealand’s great walks, this ‘great’ walk definitely lives up to its name and reputation. The walk is situated on a volcanic mountain crossing near the resort town of Lake Taupo and is commonly referred to as the filming location for the ominous ‘Mount Doom’ in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Did I mention it is 19.4 kilometres long, definitely not a cake walk and Jackie and I are not what you would describe as “avid hikers”.

Part of the uniqueness attributed to the Crossing is the amount of different terrain you experience throughout the 19.4 kilometre track, we are going to try and describe each part in detail as we go along.

PART 1 – The Base

We departed on our walk at 7:00AM sharp and started at the base of the Crossing which starts as a grassy valley and gradually works it’s way into a rocky highland. There are plenty of mountain streams running parallel to the path and with the rising sun gleaming off the water it is a beautiful sight that will definitely wake you up in the morning. This is by far the easiest section of the walk it takes about 45 minutes to complete and as you approach the next section you are greeted by an outhouse like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, more to come on this later.

Landscape Around Part 1 of the Walk

PART 2 – The Volcanic Incline

Part two begins with an absolutely terrible stretch of man made steps that gradually make their way up towards the base of Mount Doom, formally known as Mount Ngauruhoe. There is a sign warning those who may not be up to the challenge physically but we figured two young, skinny and decently fit lovebirds such as ourselves would have no difficulty on this portion of the track. Although not totally right with our assumption, this part of the path is definitely one of the most challenging, but also yields some of the best views of the valley below Mount Tongaririo. Surrounded by volcanic debris and ash, there is literally no other way to describe it but a barren wasteland. It is no wonder Peter Jackson choose this area for the climax of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Getting ready to go all Frodo on the one ring to save the world

PART 3 – Tongariro Peak and the Red Crater

After what you think may be the top of the hike, you cross an dried up volcanic lakebed to one of the coolest looking portions of the walk: the Red Crater. This is the highest point in the walk and definitely offers the best views of the valley, Mount Doom and the remaining kilometres of the walk. Totally forgot to mention that the area is still an active volcano, with the last flow occurring in 1975. Anyways magma fired though this area in the many eruptions and formed some amazing caves and inlets that are a deep blood red. This part of the hike separated the physically capable the the less fit among the pack. Climbing to the top is a rough experience as you have to latch on to rocky islands in a sea of loose gravel. Some of the ‘less fit’ folks were definitely sweating bullets, and I was jonsing for some water.

The Red Crater

PART 4 – Emerald Volcanic Lakes

So you hit the pinnacle and think you have seen it all, and then BAM! out come the Emerald Lakes which are quite possibly the most impossible colour of turquoise that one could imagine. Perfect for a photo opportunity, not perfect for a swim. I am not even going to try and describe them and since a picture is worth a thousand words, swing on by our post to check them out.

Jax Striking a Pose in front of the Emerald Lakes

PART 5 – The Decline

I will set the precedence for the following stage: it is midday, the sun is shining, I have consumed 2 liters of water and I did not take advantage of the previously mentioned outhouses as the map we purchased deceitfully shows a bathroom every third of the walk, and did I mention there is nothing around to provide natural shelter to answer the call of nature? Not yielding to Jackie’s wisdom of slowing down on the water, I realized I had to take a serious piss. Anyways, this is the most drawn out portion of the walk as you denouement from the peak the path winds in and out of rocky foothills along the longest path known to man, remember I REALLY have to pee. Hiking down, you see a vast body of water in the distance  and the immediate surrounding looks very similar to all the pictures I have seen of the Scottish Highlands. Very beautiful, but what I was most excited about was the swirling tip of the vent on the outhouse which seemed so close, like a desert mirage, but due to the twists and turns on the path was actually a kilometre or so away. When we finally reached the resting point I was relieved, and for a second thought this could have been the best part of the day.

Seriously, look at the winding path, just cruel!

PART 6 – The Rainforest

The final part of the Crossing is through a lush rainforest and entering the canopy on a sunny day was a relief as there is no shelter from the sun during on the trail. At this point of the day you are wondering where the closet place to grab an ice cold pint is, but you also know the end is near. After traversing through the final kilometres of the trail you are greeted by a vacant gravel parking lot where we immediately tossed our bags down, patted ourselves on the back and talked about how sore our asses were going to be the next day.

All in all this was probably my favourite activity of the North Island. It is definitely challenging but you are rewarded with a diverse array of views ranging foam barren volcanic wasteland to thriving rainforest. The walk is like the Rolling Stones back in the 60′s:one hit after another, and a definite must do when in New Zealand, just take some of our tips into account if you are considering:

1. Bring plenty of water – take it in small doses or you will end up like me

2. Don’t buy the trail map - although only $1.50 it provides no more information than the free map

3. Bring layers – it gets pretty cold and really windy on the mountain pinnacles

4. USE THE FIRST OUTHOUSE!! - If you don’t have to go force yourself to at the beginning! Seriously, that was one of the worst couple hours of my life.