Tongariro Alpine Crossing

We woke up early the next morning to overcast skies, backs aching from our first night of camping. We packed everything up but the tent, which we left behind since we'd be back in Lake Taupo by nightfall. The hour-long drive to Tongariro National Park was bumpy and squished with six of us in the car, but by the time we arrived at the base of our hike the clouds were beginning to break and it appeared our day would improve. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 20 km hike that takes you from a rocky taiga-like setting over a volcano to an almost desert-like valley, back over another mountain, past two sulfur lakes then down a series of switchbacks into a forest before it finally spits you out the other side. It was absolutely one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.

Somehow, despite the fact that we'd all packed our bags in less than 10 minutes that fateful morning after the earthquake, we managed to make it across the whole hike. The changes in temperature were drastic - one minute you'd be sweating in a tank top and shorts, the next you'd be freezing in a sweater and jacket as wind threatened to blast you off the side of the mountain. The terrain changed from rock to wooden walkway to stairs to sand and back. On our way down from the highest point our feet were embedded in deep gravel on a significant downward slope. The descent required a kind of hop-run technique that one could only acquire after abandoning any sense of safety; everyone's shoes and socks were left full of small rocks.


Valley Panorama from Ally Stocks on Vimeo.

Drea on the gravelly descent

Tanya, Kelsey, Mal, Drea, Lee, and I with about 6km to go

By the end, our feet were sore and what we were saying didn't make much sense but we felt fantastic. We drove back to the campsite in Lake Taupo only to find our tent had been stolen! In desperation we went back to the store where we'd purchased it the night before and luckily managed to get the same tent on sale. We happily retired in tent #2 for a great night's sleep.