Sunday, February 24, 2013

Not for the faint of heart: Tongariro Apline Crossing, NZ


Got up at 5:50am to get ready for full day of hiking along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This a famous hike takes you along the volcanic terrain.

The bus picked us up at 7am, sharp! It was a chilly, yet a clear morning as we started our hike. The beginning of the trail was fairly easy, but this was only the beginning. It took about 30 minutes just to reach the bottom of the mountain where the REAL fun began. We took it nice and easy, there was no rush, we had 8 hours to complete the walk. There were certain parts that were very slippery with some strong winds. A few times I thought I was going to get blown right off the mountain…ok maybe I'm being a bit dramatic.

Due to volcanic activity part of the trail was closed. We were still able to see the Blue Lake and the Emerald Lakes. You could also see the white steam rising from the volcano in the distance. Kept my fingers crossed that it didn't feel like exploding while we were out hiking around.

Our descent down was just as difficult if not more difficult on our way up, plus dealing with people that were heading up. Overall it was a wonderful experience that we would do again in a heartbeat.












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