VictoriaMay 12
Happy Mother’s Day! Mitch gifted me a 12.5 mile hike over a few volcanos. It’s a pretty scorching hot gift! 🤔
Apparently, while we were sound asleep trying to rest before the big hike, this solar storm was going on outside. We were getting messages from friends back home to see if we saw it and even from friends in Wellington who were telling us to go outside. We never got any of the those messages until we woke up and saw our friend’s pictures. Maybe we’ll try to catch the solar storm later this week.
We awoke before 5 a.m., packed up the car and headed to Adrift Expedition’s HQ at Basecamp in Tongariro for our 12.5 mile hike of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Often considered the best one-day trek in NZ, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing takes you over the volcanic terrain of the active Mt Tongariro and down into the Southern and Red craters past the Emerald Lakes. Almost the entire hike is on volcanic terrain, fully exposed to the elements — wind, rain, snow, ice and full sun. Formerly the Tongariro Crossing, they added the word “alpine” so hikers would take the rapid weather changes more seriously and dress appropriately.
Unsure of the conditions this time of year, seven months ago we booked a guided crossing. We thought having a guide was the safest bet. We were worried about snow and ice and potentially needing crampons to attach to our hiking boots for gripping the snow. The tour company provides everything you need.
As it turns out, the weather was beautiful, no crampons or tour guide needed. We already committed and couldn’t cancel the Adrift guide and get a refund, so off we went.
It was a chilly start to the day, about 30 degrees with a slight breeze. We were bundled up against the cold and wind. I had five layers on top, Mitch had 8 and a beanie or two! 🤪
There were a total of nine hikers in our group, plus our guide Julie. We were driven about 20 minutes to the start of the track at Mangatepopo, where we all piled out of the van and started walking.
Start time: 7:55 a.m.
Stage 1: Mangatepopo Road End To Soda Springs
The first part of the track was very flat and pretty easy walking over a boardwalk. The only problem was that it was very cold, despite all my layers. I added two pairs of gloves, which helped, but my toes were going numb, a common problem for me. Not able to do much about it, I kept walking and waited for the sun to rise over the mountains to warm me up.
We continued our hike up the valley following the Mangatepopo stream and around the edge of an old lava flow. The volcanic landscape looked like we were on the moon. Or at least what we pictured the moon to look like, having never been (next vacation?). It wasn’t especially pretty, but it certainly was interesting terrain.
There were warning signs everywhere about the dangers of walking on volcanic terrain and the potential hazards. Eruptions can happen suddenly and without warning. No problem! We just kept walking.
And then we got to the base of the volcano looking up at it from its base. We felt like tiny specs of dust against the backdrop of this geographic masterpiece.
This volcano was used as Mt Doom in the LOTR film. This volcano was used as Mt Doom in the LOTR film. It’s the volcano in Mordor that is the final destination of Frodo Baggins’s journey to destroy Sauron’s One Ring. It is also known as Orodruin, which means “Fire Mountain” in Sindarin, and Amon Amarth, which means “doom, fate”.
Stage 2: Soda Springs To South Crater
Our guide said that many people find the next part of the hike the most challenging: Devil’s Staircase. 370 steps, over 650 feet elevation gain in the climb alone.
With such a clear day came great views of the valley below. Out toward the west we were able to see Mt Taranaki far in the distance.
The climb was tough but manageable with a few short breaks. We reached South Crater, the windiest part of the trek so far. We didn’t stay long. There used to be bathrooms here. Only the steps remain. Too bad for us! Helicopters remove the toilets in winter. I guess people don’t have to go to the restrooms in winter. 🥶
Stage 3: South Crater To Red Crater
After we reached South Crater, there was another short climb on an exposed sharp ridge to Red Crater. There were beautiful views of the Oturere Valley, Rangipo Desert and Kaimanawa Ranges.
We got over the rocks and treacherous climb. There, our guide told us to pick up a rock so we could throw it onto a pile at the top. She wasn’t too clear about it and we weren’t sure what she was talking about. We picked up a rock though and kept climbing.
We climbed about a quarter mile further up to finally reach Red Crater Ridge, summiting the highest point on the Tongaririo Crossing at 5,558 ft above sea level at 11:25am, about three and a half hours after we started.
We tossed our rocks onto the massive pile, joining thousands of other trekkers before us who also achieved the momentous milestone.
We stared down south into Red Crater. When we turned back to the southwest, we could see Mt Ngauruhoe and northwest toward the narrowing summit of Mt Tongariro.
Over Central Crater, we could see the grand lake-filled valleys beyond the park to the north.
We got our first glimpse of the Emerald Lakes, colored a beautiful green-blue from minerals leached from the surrounding rocks. Steam was coming up through various vents in the rocks, emitting that famous sulphur smell. There was no denying we were hiking on volcanic land and that an eruption could happen at any moment, something the signs warned us about as well as our guide before we set off. I was somewhat relieved to learn the current volcanic alert level was 0 (4 is an eruption).
The Emerald Lakes glistened below the slopes to the east, and the dazzling trio of turquoise pools really popped out from the surrounding orange volcanic terrain. You can look farther east beyond the boundary of Tongariro National Park toward the Kaimanawa Mountain Ranges.
It was an amazing view at the top, clear blue skies and no wind. Boy, did we make the right decision in backing up our trip. The hiking conditions were ideal and the views were stunning.
Stage 4: Red Crater To Blue Lake
Now for the hard part. Descending down the mountain slope of scree. It was a steep 435ft descent.
Scree is loose, broken rocks/gravel, which makes for a difficult walking surface. For me, this was much harder than the ascent and required a lot more care.
It was impossible for me to walk normally, facing forward, without sliding down the unstable scree. So I had to side step down, using my poles to steady me. We stopped a few times for pictures. It was slow going and I finally made it down.
The group had gathered at the bottom of one of the lakes, the impromptu lunch spot.
It was especially odorous, smelling pretty awful of sulphur. There was no way I was going to be able to eat my fancy PB&J wrap inhaling a rotten egg smell. So I was the outspoken New Yorker who asked if we could choose a less pungent spot (“you can take the girl out of NY…”).
On we hiked to find a much more suitable spot to enjoy our lunch.
The track crossed Central Crater, another barren basin of orange earth. There is a fan-shaped flow of black lava spread out across the floor of the crater. From here, eating our lunch, we enjoyed views back up into Red Crater. The dark cone of Mt Ngauruhoe rises up behind the crater.
Stage 5: Blue Lake To Old Ketetahi Shelter Site
Blue Lake sits above Central Crater to the northeast. We followed the track around the edge of Central Crater then climbed up to Blue Lake, a cold acidic lake that is sacred to the Māori people. It is forbidden to touch the water or swim in it as well as eat or drink around its shores.
Blue Lake is a beautiful freshwater lake that formed in an old lava vent and has a natural blue color that somehow looks out of place in this setting. Like the Emerald Lakes, the water in Blue Lake is acidic with a pH around five.
An easy climb brought us to the edge of North Crater and fantastic views over Mt Pihanga and Lake Rotoaira across to Lake Taupo.
The trail turned gradually downhill and we were now on the slopes below Mt Tongariro, across from an area that erupted in 2012. As a result of this volcanic activity, there are several warning signs again over this section of the track and some sections had collapsed (fun!) so we had to take care around the corners.
As the Tongariro Alpine Crossing descended towards Ketetahi Hut, we saw incredible views that are unlike other parts of the hike. To our left, plumes of steam escaped from the Te Maari Crater, which erupted near midnight in August 2012. The trail passed close enough to the crater, a large area blown out of the mountainside. There we saw bright patches of yellow sulfuric soil alongside steaming vents. The geologic forces at work at Te Maari Crater were impressive.
Stage 6: Old Ketetahi Shelter Site To Ketetahi Car Park
Yay! A bathroom break. We reached Ketetahi Hut. We were now in the final homestretch.
We left the barren volcanic terrain and started down switchbacks into grassland similar to the vegetation at the start of the track. Missile-like rocks ripped holes through the roof and floor of the hut, destroying cots that were fortunately empty on the night of the eruption. Had Te Maari Crater exploded during a summer day, the results would have been a lot more tragic. Areas of the hut that were damaged by the eruption have been closed off so that they can be preserved.
We crossed a stream that flowed down from the Ketetahi Springs through to the open tussock land. From there, the track entered the bush line.
Finally, when I thought my feet couldn’t take any more, we arrived at the Ketetahi car park.
Finish time: 3:50 p.m.
Total hike time: 7 hours, 55 minutes
We found the Adrift van and painfully climbed inside, greeted by three cute dogs with the driver waiting to take us back to town.
Thankfully our hotel was a minute’s drive from Adrift’s office.
We looked back at the crossing from the parking lot of the hotel and could hardly believe the mountain climb we had completed. It’s time for a glass of NZ wine to celebrate.
When we arrived, we could barely walk to our room. Mitch went into the hot tub and I hit the shower, then collapsed into bed. Too bad for us, it wasn’t the sort of hotel that had room service, so we had to painstakingly hobble to the hotel restaurant for a surprisingly good dinner.
We climbed back into bed, watched another Suits episode, and were fast asleep by 9 p.m. What a day!
