Climbing Mt Doom in Turangi

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With the fishing temporarily out of my system I set my sights on new horizons in the town of Turangi. I had been camping for the past week as well as spending most of every day on a stream by myself...'people-withdraw' was setting in! I found myself striking up conversations at grocery stores, gas stations, fruitstands, and campgrounds, it was time to check into a hostel for a couple days! At the Extreme Backpackers I found some friends to split meals and a German tramper, Sven, to do the 19km Tongariro Alpine Crossing with.

The Tongariro Crossing is rated as the best one day hike in New Zealand, weaving thru ancient craters and active volcanos with vast panoramic views to the ocean and over the surrounding floor. We set out on a 730 am shuttle bus the following morning and were dropped just shy of the base of Mt. Ngauruhoe (2287m) which starred as Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. It is the youngest of the Volcano's and last erupted in 1975. The hike starts by zig zagging up an ash covered trail to the Mangatepopo saddle (1.5 hrs) between Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro. The trail continues onward but there is a side trip to the summit of Mt. Ngauruhoe that can be done with a little extra effort. Sven and I started for the top and the single track trail quickly turned into a pick your own route free climb up loose rock for the next 1 ½ hrs. We were constantly on alert for rocks rolling down from climbers above us who seemed to be clueless. We reached the top just in time to view the crater and see the surrounding countryside as clouds were moving in around us. We took our lunch and 15 min later were quickly engulfed,making visibility less than 100 feet. The descent was a different story as we picked a straight shot for the bottom and slide down patches of loose gravel until we were back where started with another 15 km to go.

Not all of the volcanos in the Tongariro National Park are in a stable condition. The highest and most volatile is Mt Ruapehu which has an impressive and recent history of eruptions. It is currently active with explosions as recent as 2007, but still doubles as the regions most popular ski mountain. In 1995 the volcano erupted sending ash and rock over 1.5 km while hundreds of skiers were on the slopes! While the 2007 blast was minor, scientists say that the volcano is capable of activity much more violent than the 1995 fireworks, so pack your kevlar ski suit if you plan to visit. 😊

Once we were back on the trail we meandered along the saddle and up to the Red Crater which overlooked a series of three Emerald Lakes that were are brilliant turquoise against the barren background. After another stop for a snack and pictures we continued on passing the sacred Blue Lake along a changing landscape of volcanic ash to scrubby, alpine bush. There are meant to be spectacular views as you make your way down from the Blue Lake to the Ketetahi Hut, but unfortunately we were still surrounded by a thick mist so we trudged along hoping for a change in weather. As we continued to descend, we eventually dropped below the cloud cover and were able to overlook Mt. Pihanga, Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupo in the distance. It was another 2 hours to the Ketetahi Car park to meet our driver and the bush quickly turned into lush forest canopy along rushing streams.

10 hours after starting the day we found ourselves back at the Extreme Backpackers courtyard firing up the grille. We cooked up steak, chicken, garlic basil potatoes, and a massive Greek Salad and easlily washed it down with a couple Tui beers.

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Comments

[Griff]

wow
awesome pictures as per usual Bones! i love getting to travel the world through your blog. we can't wait to come and visit you in NZ.