The Tongariro Trek

Day one in the Tongariro National Park began at the Visitor's Center in Whakapapa Village. The initial hike to the Mangatepopo Hut took four hours. There were ups, downs, overs, unders and over fourteen stream crossings.

The trail started out well enough over rolling hills with views for miles. After an hour we dipped into a forest; then came the Taranaki Falls junction and the trail took a nose dive. Small streams have gutted the earth and the trail was severely deteriorated. The original trail sign had said to expect an additional two hours walking time in the event of rain or if the trail were wet. I would guess that the trail would be impassable under those conditions.

Despite the obstacles, the path was well marked and we saw impressive views of Mt. Ngauruhoe and Pukeonake. About the time when my feet were screaming "No more!", we spotted the Mangatepopo Hut. It looked like a tiny dot in the distance. With each step the hut grew in size until eventually we collapsed at its door. We dragged ourselves to the tent platform only one was left and we set up house. We made dinner in the hut and met with whom we talked before finally going to sleep at 9:30 pm.

Day two took us from Mangatepopo Hut over the saddle between Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro, across South Crater, up to Red Crater and down again to the Ketetahi Hut. Total trek time, seven hours (an hour and a half more than the sign indicated).

The crawl up the saddle was tough. 400 meters straight up; my legs felt a bit like wet noodles. After the one hour climb to the top, my sigh was probably heard for miles. At the top we dropped into the South Crater. A flat floor that when covered with misty clouds looked rather eerie.

From there it was another uphill climb toward what turned out to be one of the highlights on the trail. Red CraterWe paused for lunch and picture taking and then turned left to climb once again up the side of the crater . Finally at 1886 meters, we reached the highest point of the trek and began hiking down. Perhaps hiking is ta misnomer. Slipping might be a more appropriate choice. Loose sand and gravel allowed each planned step to result in two until at the bottom we stood overlooking Emerald Lakes, another trek highlight.

From the Lakes it was a bit of flat, a bit of up and a lot of down to pass Blue Lake, pass Central Crater and reach the base of Ketetahi Hut The hut sits down from a series of switchbacks. From its front door is a spectacular view of Lake Taupo and Lake Rotoaira. Outside: expansive views, inside: cramped quarters. One table surrounded by lines of bunk beds, one sink in the back and four gas burners. Small accommodations for the hoards of trampers who travel this path. We set up our tent out back just as the fog was rolling over the hills. By time we finished dinner, a luxury meal of dehydrated noodles, dehydrated peas and cookies, the fog had covered everything. We spent the rest of the evening learning to speak Kiwi and, before retiring to catch some zeds, boiled up some water to refill our empty bottles for the trek out in the morning. By the time we were in our sleeping bag, the wind had changed direction and we had the pleasure of sleeping with the smell of sulphur from the Ketetahi Hot Springs which sits thirty 30 minutes down trail.

Day three had us hiking for two hours. Unfortunately the fog was still thick, so a side trip to the Hot Springs wouldn't have been worthwhile. We arrived at the car park a bit before 11:30 and waited for the bus which would shuttle us back around to our little Gulf. Our first trek in New Zealand had been great. As John says "It was good training for the next one."