Tongariro National Park lies in the center of the North Island.  Established in 1887, it is New Zealand’s first national park as well as a UNESCO site.  A Maori chief named Horonuku Te Heuheu Tukino IV gave the land to the British to preserve its beauty for all to enjoy.  We are grateful to Chief Horonuku, because we certainly did enjoy this park’s stunning scenery. Much of the scenery features three volcanos:  Ruapehu, Ngaur, and Tongariro.  These massive peaks are all still active.  The most recent major event was in 2012 (Tongariro), but every day steam puffs around the peaks.

One of the most popular “tramps” (New Zealand word for hikes) is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  A little over 15 miles, the crossing snakes between Mount Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro.  The trail ascends a relentless set of stairs connected by paths, then descends an impossibly steep (very steep, as in EEEEEEK!) scree slope before switch-backing down to a bus pick-up area.  The hike takes 6-8 hours to complete. Our knees and feet pleaded with us not to go.  But we couldn’t resist the challenge.  We told our body parts to buck up, and off we went. 

Nature’s wild variety was on full display throughout the tramp.  As we climbed (and climbed and climbed and climbed), we saw flora specimen from sub-alpine to tussock to nothing but scree. 

We saw steaming vents, vivid blue/green lakes, odd moonscapes, and a gorgeous red crater.  Nature’s violence was evident from the blown-out mountainside.

When we finished, our toes and knees were screeming (couldn’t resist the “scree” pun).  According to Bob’s phone we had walked 33,368 steps and climbed 162 flights of stairs!  But every step was worth it.  It was the hike of a lifetime and I’m grateful we had the opportunity to do it.  Again, thank you Chief Horonuku, and the Government of New Zealand, for making this possible!

Travel Lessons Learned: 

1. I am no longer a snob about using a hiking stick.  Our light-weight Black Diamond sticks were so helpful!
2. Cheap hotels are terrific and allow us to travel for extended periods of time.  However, sometimes a hotel is worth the splurge, and Chateau Tongariro is one of those hotels.  At the end of that hike, coming back to this lovely landing spot and its delicious Chateaubriand for two was simply divine. (We would include a photo of the meat but we ate it too fast—no chance for a photo!)

As always, thank you for following along. We appreciate your friendship and interest! Next installment (coming an a bit): Wellington, the Crossing, and the Wild West.