Tongariro Alpine Crossing

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Our next stop the Tongariro National Park which is at the southern end of Lake Taupo is breathtaking containing three active volcanic peaks, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe (which starred as the scary Mount Doom in the film trology Lord of the Rings). We had wonderful views of these as we headed out of Taupo and up into the national park. When we stopped to look back there was a large hill which looked very similar to Silbury Hill in Wiltshire but this had a moat so it definitely was not (Frances you would have liked it)! We had intended to do several small walks in the national park but the campsite manager in Keri Keri one of our previous campsites had said that they had a sister site in the national park which was the closest site to make the ‘Tongariro Alpine Crossing’ a world-renowned trek which is rated as the most spectacular one day trek in New Zealand and listed by many in the top 10 day treks of the world. He informed us that the site manager, Greg would be able to advise us on the trek, and on arrival we asked him about the walk and whether it was easy and if there were any steep drops etc. He showed us some photos and said that the worst part was the ‘scree slope’ but this did not look too bad in the picture, so we decided that instead of doing some ‘smaller ‘walks’ this would be a better challenge for us. Particularly as we were feeling fitter after our walks up and around Mount Maunganui and an opportunity like this does not come around to often (foolish?). The Tongariro Alpine Crossing’ is a ‘long day’ walk at 19.4 km and is renowned for its barren yet beautiful "moon like" volcanic landscape, unusual geological features, visible volcanic activity and stunning views of the surrounding countryside below. The crossing usually takes between 7 to 8 hours of steady walking and requires a reasonable level of fitness (well we were fit before we left the UK!). You have to be prepared as the weather can change very quickly and also need to to carry a day bag with water, food and a waterproof jacket etc. The walk starts to the west of the mountain and the track forms a reverse ‘L’ shape when looked at on a map, heading east for the first third and then turning north. As the walk starts and ends on different sides of the mountain, you are unable to drive to and from the walk as returning to the starting point would mean retracing the entire route - a further 7-8 hours of walking!! Our current campsite is the ‘Basecamp’ for walkers and supplies transport services, collecting and dropping those undertaking the crossing at the starting point and then returning them back to the campite at the end. They informed us that there would be three pick ups at the end of the walk at 3, 4 and 5 pm and that was it - not sure what would happen if you did not make the final pick up though!!!! The track began at the Mangatepopo Hut where we were taken by our basecamp driver with 16 other fellow walkers leaving promptly at 8 am. The driver dropped us off giving us a map and a ‘health and safety’ talk on the way, saying that if we had any problems before we reached the half way mark we had to call them (if one could get a line as there is not much mobile broadband in the area) and that we would have to turn back to meet them - it was then I thought, ‘oh my gosh’ what have I let myself in for, Paul seemed happy though so I was sure it would be fine! We set off with eager anticipation of our challenging day on the volcanic slopes of the mountain. The map gave us details of how long each section should take which was briefly; carpark to Soda Springs 1 hour, Soda Springs to South Crater 1 hour, South Crater to Red Crater 1 hour, Emerald Lakes to Ketetahi Hut 2 hours, Ketetahi Hut to Carpark pick up 2 hours. After a gentle 40 minute valley walk which was lovely and gave us a false impression of what was to come we ascended to the foot of the steep Tongariro saddle (seemed OK so far). Then there was a further steep 45 minute ascent which was the most ardious part of the track and called Devil’s Staircase, (Simon of KeepFit121, I will not complain about Blue Boar Hill in Winchester again!). In this section we had to stop quite a few times to gather breath. Further on we covered smaller descents and ascents into and back out of two different craters, the scenery was truly amazing with volcanic rocks dispersed all around. We then climbed a really difficult part with loose boulders falling away as you tried to get a grip on the mountain side. Many other walkers were having difficulty but we put our heads down and managed to climb this section, again stopping to catch our breath at various points on the way. The views at the top were again wonderful over the mountain lakes, but I then realised we had an extremely steep side to get down past the lakes with drops on each side and the whole decent consisted of very loose scree. Paul managed with some persuading to guide me down which was very difficult as you could not gain a solid foot hold as it was so slippery. It took us a good slow and long 20 minutes but we found the best way was to dig your heels in and walk sideways. As we descended the view of the Emerald Lakes and along the edge of the Blue Lake was truly awesome. The driver on our transport had said that this would be a good place to stop for lunch but it had turned chilly as we were quite high and the strong smell of sulphur was not pleasant to sit and eat lunch so we decided to carry on for a while. Finally we got down level with the lakes and the scree slope ended and was replaced by a small plateau covered with pockets of deep snow. We had to cross this to the next ascent where we reached a larger lake still partially frozen and then several more ascents before we started to go around and down the other side of the mountain - thank goodness. Whilst crossing one of these snow covered sides, Paul’s leg fell right through deep snow up to his thigh but I could not help as I needed to get to the other side as the slope was quite steep - sorry Paul. He managed to pull himself out though, but quite wet and muddy and joined me on the other side! We continued on and were very grateful indeed to see the Ketetahi Hut in the distance which gave us a good view of the Plateau to the north. However it took a long time to reach it on the narrow path but finally we did and we stopped and had lunch overlooking Lake Taupo in the distance and drank plenty of water for the final push. There are no fresh water supplies on the walk so we needed to bring sufficient fresh water for our own drinking needs. Tank drinking water, which is rainwater, is usually available at the Ketetahi Hut but this cannot be always guaranteed. There were various pool and springs in the area but the water was often hot and tainted with minerals and dissolved metals from the volcanic activity so best not to try. From the hut there was still a long descent down the northern flank of the volcano passing the Ketetahi Hot Springs, where it looked like the mountain side was on fire. The track continued down the mountain through tussock plains and into native forest following a fast flowing stream. We were getting very tired now and the final stretch seemed to go on forever when all of a sudden we came out of the bush and into a very welcome carpark. Our transport was not there as we had arrived too soon!! We had completed the walk in 6 hours (instead of the usual 7-8 hours) and the first pick up was not for another hour - Paul always likes to be early for check in! Finally we saw the welcome transport arrive and out of the other 16 walkers who set off with us only 6 others had completed the trek at this time - hopefully the others would arrive back eventually. Back to the campsite for some stiff drinks. We awoke early the next morning and Greg, the campsite manager came over to have a chat and see how we got on - he said that he was surprised to see us get off the 3 o'clock bus!!! He also said that a lot of people have been unable to get past the scree slope, particularly those with vertigo problems but he decided not to mention this to us before!!! For those of you interested in more information on the walk and might even consider it if you ever come to New Zealand (Bob & Elaine?), I would recommend it even though it was tough and I will not be doing it again!...... Until 2007 the crossing was called the "Tongariro Crossing", but this was changed to the "Tongariro Alpine Crossing" to better reflect the terrain. Almost the entire length of the crossing is in volcanic terrain with no vegetation and fully exposed to weather - at considerable altitude. Apparently The Department of Conservation was concerned about trampers being unprepared for the conditions they may encounter and introduced the name change to warn the many poorly equipped visitors of potential hazards. Key hazards are the high wind chill factor, the rapid change in weather and very poor visiblity in the sudden storms with blinding snow and cloud. I must admit I have never put on or taken off so many clothes in one day, one minute it was very hot then really cold. Apparently in 2006, two people of an estimated 65,000 walkers died on the track. Although the route is marked with poles it is quite common in poor weather for visibility to be severely reduced. Poles may be snow covered or destroyed by wind gusts in winter…….. If I had known this before I do not think we would have attempted the walk but only read about this afterwards. The entire length of the walk (except for the final descent through native forest) is through raw volcanic terrain. The three volcanoes in the area are all highly active and the terrain reflects this. Solidified lava flows, loose tehpra, and solidified volcanic lava bombs abound. Large amounts of minerals are brought to the surface and are highly visible in the colours of rocks and ridges. This was really noticable around the Red Crater area. Active steam vents called fumaroles abound on several sections of the walk, constantly emitting steam and sulphur dioxide gas into the air and depositing yellow sulphur specks around their edges. The famous lakes and pools on the walk are deeply coloured by the volcanic minerals dissolved in them and this made them stand out against the rest of the terrain and were really stunning. Some areas feature large springs emitting near-boiling water and torrents of steam. The terrain underfoot for most of the walk is either sharp edged new volcanic rock or loose and shifting tehpra ,mainly ash and La pilli. In some crater areas it is finer ash that has become moist and compacted. Tomorrow we head out of the mountains and South toward Wellington for our Ferry crossing to the South Island. By the way I forgot to mention in a previous blog that the weather has been very changeable but a couple of nights ago I was particularly cold and kept waking up. In the morning we decided to give the motorhome a wash down before travelling on and when I went around to clean the driver’s window (i.e Pauls) my hand went right through, he had left the window wide open all night (he does like fresh air but insisted that he did not leave it open) I leave you all to judge who the culprit was! We hope that you are enjoying our blog and appreciate all your comments and emails, please keep them coming.

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Comments

[John Thompson]

Fit?
Hi Sheila, I always said you were fit! Sounds like you are enjoying a wonderful trip. I'm off to work! Love. John + Jan