Tongariro National Park Adventure

Hiking the Tongariro Crossing and Climbing Mount Ngauruhoe in a day

Day 1 - Road Trip

After spending the last few years living overseas my goal this year is to explore New Zealand. There was no better way to start than by doing one of the best day hikes in the world, and climbing one of the most famous volcanos.

Many people have told me about their experiences doing the Tongariro Crossing and in recent years I started to feel left out. It was finally time to see what all the fuss was about! In addition, we decided it would also be a good idea to climb Mount Ngauruhoe on the same day – the volcano that is ‘Mount Doom’ from Lord of the Rings.

The crew for the weekend included Marcus and Bree, Ben, Jacob, James, Vlas, and myself. Although Bree relaxed in Taupo instead of doing the hike, as she is pregnant.

Part of any good weekend is the road trip to the destination. We all made our way to Taupo on Friday, James driving from Tauranga and the rest of us from Auckland. The first evening we had dinner overlooking Lake Taupo. We watched the sun setting over the mountains that we would be climbing the next day.

After checking into our Airbnb in Acacia Bay we played a few card games and made sure our gear was ready for the morning.

Day 2 - Adventure

My alarm went off at 5.10am and after a quick shower I ran around the house waking people up. In classic form, Ben and Jacob fell back asleep and ended up with 5 minutes to get ready. The next challenge was fitting everyone into one one car, which was like playing human Tetris and made for an uncomfortable 70 minute drive to the shuttle car park.

We all hopped aboard the 7am shuttle and were driven to the start of the hike. I drank some coffee and mentally prepared for the day ahead, while next to me Vlas wisely caught up on sleep. We arrived at the starting point, took a few group photos, and then the six of us set off into the morning mist.

The first part of the hike followed a well-defined path gently winding up through low-lying scrub and volcanic rock. Spirits were high all around, some more natural than others.

The first test of the day was the ‘Devil’s Staircase’, which is a section of a few hundreds stairs gaining about 200m of elevation. Half way up I could feel the sweat trickling down my face and body, so I took my rain jacket off and felt the cool breeze on my skin. By this point Jacob was starting to fall behind, but with some encouragement from Marcus he made a valiant effort to continue pushing to the top.

The end of the Devils Stairs opens up to the Tongariro South Crater and Mount Ngauruhoe looming on the right. As we arrived, like magic, the clouds dispersed and made way to blue sky and the beautiful image of Ngauruhoe. An almost perfect cone of gray and red rocks, leading up to the main crater.

Our side mission was right in front of us, however none of us had studied the route up and we walked about 500m past where we were supposed to turn. After some discussions we double backed and started the climb.

High up above us, we could see two other people, which was encouraging. Unlike the Tongariro Crossing, not many people climb Mount Ngauruhoe. There are no signs or man made pathways and its not advised to climb due to the cultural significance of the mountain to the Maori people. Even though we decided to climb it, we remained respectful of the land and spiritual meaning.

Next, we reached the base at around 1700m elevation. Between us and the summit was an intimidating scree field and ridge line formed by an old lava flow. Ben set a blistering pace to begin with, before falling trap to the difficulties of climbing scree in running shoes and without poles.

By mid-way, my usual mantra of ‘one step at a time’ was in full force. After 1hr 15mins of navigating the scree and rocky ridge line, Marcus and myself reached the edge of the summit crater at 2,287m. A deep red colour with spectacular views. Mount Tongariro on one side and Mount Ruapehu on the other, with an up-close view of a steam vent. We took a few photos, enjoyed the moment, and then began to descend.

On the way down we first met up with James, then Ben and Vlas a bit further down. James pushed on up to the summit and Ben and Vlas turned around to join me and Marcus on the descent. After a series of skids, falls, and some ‘scree skiing’ we made it down in one piece. We checked for any injuries and found the only thing hurting was Ben’s ego. Nevertheless a valiant effort by all! Even by Jacob, who had patiently fallen asleep on a rock waiting for us at the bottom.

Adrenalin and morale were high, and after shaking out stones from our shoes we continued on with the main crossing. A slower pace ensued as we made our way up the slope to the red crater at 1,886m high, but it was well worth it for the view of the emerald lakes and blue lake in the distance. Steam venting around the lakes, reminding us we were on an active volcanic zone. I was fascinated with Volcanos as a child, and the views brought back memories. No doubt one of the coolest things I’ve seen.

After the blue lake, the terrain began to change from dry volcanic rock to vegetation. The path gradually descended, winding down the side of Mount Tongariro.

I started to feel the effects on my knees from all the downhills and was thankful I had hiking poles with me, for the first time ever. I used to think they were only for ‘the weak ones’, but now I think they are for ‘the smart ones’ (funny that). The other issue for the group was water supplies. In the heat, 2 liters each was not quite enough, and careful rationing had gone out the window. The main respite was the view of Lake Rotoaira in the distance.

The last 5km through scrub and bush became more of a mental battle, and we went a little quiet as energy levels dropped. Once we hit the forest section with 3km to go, we entered the shade. I dropped my last energy gel and found a little burst of energy and we all pushed through to the end of the official 19.4km track.

In total, our hike was 10 hours, 25km, 1,527m ascent, 1,912 descent, and 6 tired bodies.

Once we arrived back at the Airbnb we showered, ate and each chose a spot in the lounge to lie down. All ambitions to go out and see the Taupo nightlife quickly evaporated with each passing minute, and sleep became the priority.

Day 3 - Recovery

It's becoming a new tradition after our hikes to find a spa or sauna for recovery. Taupo has no shortage of natural locations for this, and the one at the top of the list was ‘Spa Thermal Park’. Warm Geothermal water from the Otumuheke river flows into the Waikato River. This was perfect because we could go from the cold Waikato water into the warm Otumuheke water.

When we arrived there were only a few other people, so we got to enjoy the natural pools and river to the full. James also provided some light entertainment with an epic singlet tan from the day before.

We spent an hour or so relaxing and attempting to swim against the strong river current before it was time to dry off and get back on the road home.

And that marked the end of the trip - a fun kiwi adventure with a good group of people!