The Tongariro Crossing

“Probably the best one day hike in New Zealand” – proclaimed the guide book so we duly booked ourselves in for a guided trek. With NZ just coming into spring there was still snow at the top and we were told the route might not be clear and that we probably would need crampons and ice axes so we erred on the side of caution and went for a guided option with equipment supplied.

This promised to be a hike of ardour, 19km across a volcanic range, with a climb of over 1600 vertical meters over Mt Tongariro, a multi-cratered volcano last active in 1975. We were told that we could expect an eruption at any time as it usually erupted every nine years since records began and was now long overdue for the next one. In this event our only advice was to head away from the lava and gain ground as quickly as possible whilst protecting our heads from falling rocks the size of camper vans. This I thought sounded a little futile but I was on board with the running away to higher ground bit!

As we approached the start of the trek we passed by Mt Doom, a free standing volcano that appeared exactly as any child would draw a mountain, complete with a snow covered cap and ominously swirling clouds around it’s peak. No matter, we started out along our trek on level ground, passing amongst proverbial babbling brooks bouncing energetically through the ancient lava flows. Surrounding us were traditional kiwi mountain flora of heath and sway grasses, and impressive jagged ridge lines.

After a few hours of slogging punctuated by short little snack breaks we’d made it up on onto one of Mt Tongariro’s ridges and were rewarded with fierce blustering winds coupled with stunning mountain vistas. Another hour or so and we were up on the peak and stopped for lunch on a thermal ridge. This was a bizaar natural phenomenon where the steam vents from the volcano seep up through the rock and melt the snow from underneath. So here we were, buffeted by frigid mountain winds whilst munching through our home made sandwiches with our bums being gently steamed by the warm ground! Of course we had brought our England flag and had the obligatory photo on the top to remind the locals that NZ is still just one of the colonies…..

From there it was technically all down hill, but it still took another 3.5hrs, crabbing across ice crusted off camber slopes desperately trying to avoid a slip and tumble down the slope below. I nearly went whilst trying to chisel steps with my ice axe for the benefit of the unsteady looking Ozzy couple behind me. Thats what you get for helping the Aussies! Another little highlight was bum-sliding down these little narrow gullies just before the hut towards the end of the pass. The chutes created looked like a mini bobsled run and was well worth the wet soggy trousers for the rest of the trek.

Eventually, we descended from the snow line and back down through the open grass-studded slopes before dropping into the final stretch through a forested gully following a stream to the end. We arrived at our pick-up point tired but fulfilled and having conquered the crossing in the much the same way that Hannibal crossed the Alps (except without the elephants and 4000 soldiers in accompaniment).