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Published: June 22nd 2005
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I arrived at Taupo hoping to do the Tongariro Crossing the next day -unfortunately but my good luck spell with the weather finally ran out and it was three days before I could do it ;0( In the mean time I managed to squeeze in several relaxing days here just passing time and drinking coffee from cafe's overlooking the lake. Ahh. I briefly considered the almost obligatory skydive that everyone seems to come here to do but for the nanosecond it took me to decide it was a bad idea the weather was too windy so I couldn't go up ;0) I think I'd like to do one at some point.... but maybe when I've got someone else to do it with.
On my fourth day the weather was good so at 6.20am (the sunrise across Lake Taupo was lovely...) I was up and on the bus (driven by a guy who was far to cheery for that time in the morning!!) heading towards the start of the Tongariro Crossing at Mangatepopo. The Tongariro Crossing is only 16km but involves a nice painful 750m ascent. The first hour is easy as you walk through an increasing barren landscape heading towards
the start of the rather aptly named Devils Staircase. As the name suggests you then spend the next hour climbing up a v steep black lava flow. The scenery though was well worth all the gasping for breath and sore legs - whilst almost completely devoid of vegetation it really was quite beautiful. At the top of the climb you are rewarded with a great view of Mount Ngauruhoe, a striking cone of red and black scoria that might have been Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings... I say might have been because I was still half asleep when the drive was briefing us on the way there so didn't get exactly which one of the looming mountains it was in the film. Maybe I'll watch the film again to find out.... If you're willing/mad enough you can climb Mount Ngauruhoe... but on the day I walked I'm not sure anyone did... something about the three steps forward two steps back ascent was a bit off putting. From here you walk across the flat Southern Crater before climbing again to the rim of the Red Crater where you have amazing views in all directions - to the right there
are the red and black walls of the crater and in front the pale blue Emerald Lakes and then the darker Blue Lake. This was the perfect spot for lunch!!
I was really lucky in that I had a very clear day for it so had some great views. I think I would have been a wee bit miffed if I'd done all the climbing only to find that the views from the top were obscured in clould!!! Before I started the walk I'd met various people who'd said that they'd found the ascent at Devils Staircase hard work... however nobody mentioned the descent that is the North Crater - essentially you slide your way down a very steep 300m scree slope. That would be fine apart from the rather long drop on either side of the rather narrow slope - not a good one if you don't like heights!! Some 7 hours later we collapsed in a heap at the end of the track and waited for the bus back to Taupo.
For my final morning in Taupo I'd planned one last litte walk out to the Hukka Falls.... about an hour out of town. In the
end I bumped into the two girls that I'd met and walked with for most of the trek yesterday and the Huka Falls trip quickly became coffee, cake and a comparison of aches and pains. Maybe when I come back to do my skydive....
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