Tongariro Alpine Crossing...Totally Awesome!!!

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17th February 2009 - A LOT OF WALKING AND USES FOR A MULTITOOL!!!
My alarm went off at 5am……my body screamed at me that it was far too early to open my eyes but my brain new better and I got up. Everyone else still sleeping so I crept out of bed, grabbed my stuff that I had laid out all neatly the night before and headed for a shower to wake me up properly!! As I finished in the shower Nat got up and sorted herself out as well. We then went to the kitchen for a big bowl of breakfast…plenty of carbs needed for the walk that lay ahead!! We spoke to another guy in the kitchen called Gary who was also doing the walk that day however he was getting there via the expedition bus like the Hull boys. Once we had filled our bellies we loaded the car up as we weren’t coming back to Taupo, dropped our keys in the drop box and were on the road by 6am.

The plan was for us to drive to Ketetahi Car Park (the finishing point) and park there. Once parked we would have to pay $25 each to get a ride on the shuttle bus to the beginning to start the walk. Very overpriced but it was the only option available to us. The shuttles only ran between 7.15 and 7.30am and so we had set off in plenty of time to get there at around 7am. Things didn’t go to plan. The directions we had were useless and the track to the car park wasn’t signposted. We tried a couple of random dirt tracks much to Dora’s dismay but they didn’t produce the car park. We did manage to stumble on the start car park though at around 7.30am and as we had missed the shuttle bus times we parked up and stayed there. It was a bit disappointing as it seemed that our only option now was to walk half way, turn around and then walk back.

It was cold in the car park and so we got fully layered up only to achieve the result of looking like a mitchellin man!! I had trousers on over shorts and about 5 tops. I also had my little survival bag filled with food, water, scarf and my trusty mac. I only had my rifts for footwear though….some would call it plain stupid to walk up a mountain in fashion trainers rather than the recommended walking boots but I’d like to think of it as hard core. We were ready for action and sat in the car park until the Hull guys arrived on the bus. We figured it would make it easier to get around in a group as we could pull one another along. When their bus arrived we tried our luck with their driver and asked if he would drive us back to the beginning at the end of the walk. He said “no chance” but then came up with a plan. We paid $20 between us to get one of his colleagues to drive our car to the end for us and he would save the keys until we finished. Meant we could do the whole walk…sweet as!!! Cheaper than our original plan too so to quote George Formby…”it turned out nice again.”

Once the car business was sorted and the guys had arrived we were all ready to get going. It was 8am when we set off and the walk was supposed to take 7-8 hours. We had a long way to go!! The first park from the car park to Soda Springs was pretty flat and nice to walk. There were a few rocks to scramble over but nothing heavy. We were having a good laugh too so time passed quickly and I was enjoying myself. I even began to de-layer as I was warming up nicely. To quote Rolph Harris…”it’s gona be a fine day…it’s gona be a real fine day!!

The climb got tougher as we made our way up to the South crater which meant we climbed up to 1660 metres in a short space of time. The stairs that were on route were known as the devils Staircase and as I walked up I fully understood why!! It was very steep and it was tough walking but I was enjoying it as its what I call good pain!! We stopped a few times for photos and water breaks but otherwise made good time. Bobby informed us all that the hard part was over…little did we know that it would only get worse!! At the top of the south crater we could see Mt Ngauruhoe Summit, otherwise known as Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. There was a 3 hour return track to the top of the summit and we all wanted to walk it despite being told that it was ‘extremely challenging,’ but if we wanted to collect our car keys and the boys wanted to catch their bus back to Taupo, we wouldn’t have time!! We were all a bit disappointed especially Nat as she is a Lord of the Rings fanatic but it just wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t the clearest day and the visibility of it wasn’t the best but it still looked awesome even from a distance and we stopped for a while to take photos and admire it from afar!!

As for having already walked the hard part…Bobby was wrong!! The next part was the hardest as we climbed further up to the top of the red crater. The walk was steep again and this time there were no stairs and only rocks and gravel to get a footing on. I had to use my hand to grip in parts…just call me cliffhanger!! I was worried about the rifts as they don’t have the best grip but they did well!! “Pah” I say to all those in walking boots and poles!! The views along the way were totally stunning even in poor visibility and I found it difficult to imagine how good it would have looked on a clear day.

Once at the top we sat down for a spot of lunch. Ham sarnies for me and Nat plus some fruit and a few jellies for instant energy. Poor Dave had a Frankfurt sandwich and none of us could stop laughing as he pulled the poor offering out of his bag. He responded saying he had a yoghurt saved for later and that was all he needed. Fact!! Some serious banter passed between us all and “Yoghurt” must have become our most spoken word for the day!! Bobby and I also started the multi-tool challenge. My tiny pink Leatherman versus his mans multi-tool. I casually flicked my knife out to chop my apple up….one nil Debs. He responded by getting his toothpick out to remove a crumb from his teeth!! One all!!

Once we had re-stocked our energy levels we continued walking around the red crater. It got cold up there and the trusty macs came out. Dave had one too and joined the mac possy!! Bobby and Gaz started their own polar fleece group…more practical but not nearly as good!! The banter went on and I got blonder and blonder with my comments. We stopped a few times along the way for more photos and then started the descent towards the Emerald Lakes. The descent was not good or easy. Nat fell flat on her bum, Bobby fell three times and I also fell down hurting my hand as I landed. There were only gravel under foot and it was easy to lose your footing especially when you don’t have the proper shoes on. Dave got the hang of it well and did a lean back, side to side Liam Gallagher swagger. He didn’t fall once but looked like a fool!! Funny!!

It got a bit cold up there and as I didn’t have a hat I wrapped my scarf around my had to keep the cold from my ears. I got called Osma from then on and a lot of Taliban jokes were thrown around. It was too cold to take it off though. The lakes we beautiful and the emerald colour was so vivid!! My theory was that the floor was painted that colour and the water is actually clear….I am sure many 5 year olds would agree with my analysis!!

On from the Emerald Lakes we continued around and passed the Blue Lake. It wasn’t very blue today as the visibility was poor and it was too cloudy for the sun to get through but still looked amazing. As we stood and looked out I used my time to file my nails with the old multi-tool…two one Debs!! Bob responded with plucking a few hairs from his stubble…two all!! We also had a knife fight…I was like Urma Thurman in kill Bill and kicked ass!! Watch out for “Kill Bob” coming to a screen near you!!

The track then dropped down around the northern slope of Tongariro and the banter continued. Nat did some Lord of the Rings poses to try and make up for the fact that we couldn’t climb Mt Doom. A few spots of rain came down but we pressed on and continued along a zig zag path down to the Ketetahi hut. Along the way we played some word association games to pass some time. The second part of the walk definitely seemed longer than the first despite being easier on the legs.

On arrival at the hut we toileted and the set off down the mountain through the Tussock Plains. We stopped for a second lunch and lo and behold…the yoghurts came out!! Funny stuff but maybe you had to be there. Following lunch, I took my score to 3 as I trimmed back a bush with some clippers on the multi tool. Bob responded straight back though as he got his pen out to write his memoirs!! Too close to call this challenge but glad I finally got some use out of it…Bear grills would be proud!!

After lunch we continued down (bad on the knee joints) and eventually headed into the native forest for the 45 minute home straight!! We kept the word games going and got a few good laughs from it especially with Nats sports start knowledge....or lack of it!! Came across some machinery and gadgets to play with along the way too which made things more interesting now that the amazing views had disappeared!!

Eventually we made it out and into the finishing car park. Mountain Walk…tick!! Loved it and wasn’t half as hard as I thought it might be. 7 hours walking (20km) and no blisters either….big up the rifts!! We had a victory photo before retrieving our car keys and waving bye to the boys who were going back to Taupo on the bus. It had been as awesome walk. Disappointed about Mount Doom and the visibility could have been better but still amazing!! Good work!!

In the car, we dropped a couple off at the beginning car park who had suffered the same fate as we had in not being able to find the end. We then continued on our way to Wanganui which was a 2 hour drive. I was tired from being up so early but managed to keep my eyes on the road and we got there at around 6.30pm. Funny hostel…bit like a hospital with curtains for door and white metal beds but it was clean and ok for a night or 2. had some good gardens to it and would be nice for sitting out during the day though. We chilled for half an hour, went to the supermarket and then came back and relaxed for the evening with a brew before falling to sleep at around 10pm!!

One of the best days I have had so far!!!

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