Emerald Lakes

The Tongariro Crossing

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December 14th 2006
So, 5.35 a.m. and we are outside the hotel to be picked up by the Tongariro Expeditions minibus, which deposited us at 7 a.m. at the trailhead. We’d passed through a layer of cloud and were in lovely sunny weather above it. Armed with maps, guidelines for how long each section should take, and dire warnings about our fate if we missed the last bus at the trail end pick up point at 4.30 pm., we s ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Tongariro National Park

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more