Tongariro National Park

New Zealand is home to the second oldest national park in the world, second only to Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Comprised of three volcanoes is has some great alpine scenery and when the clouds part there are excellent views of the Mts. as well. Throughout the park are a number of trails one of them being the Tongariro Crossing, often heralded as one of the most beautiful day hikes in the world, with over 20,000 people making the 18km traverse every year. However, there are a number of other trails as well, one of them being the Tongariro Northern Circuit. This trail takes in the best of the Crossing and then bends around one of the Mts. forming a loop designed to take four days and three nights spent in the hut system maintained by the Department of Conservation.

I started the first day walking up a valley towards the saddle between Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe. At the top of what has become known as the Devils Staircase there is a flat plain crossing to another short saddle and up another ridge line to the top of Red Crater. From there Its downhill to the emerald lakes and another crater plateau. Finally, it bends around the back side of Mt. Tongariro to Ketetahi Hut at around 6,000ft. I camped the first day there after a good day of pleasant temperatures and great hiking. There were plenty of other people doing the circuit and I met a family of four from Canada and a seasoned old tramper from Australia.

The next day it was up at dawn and off to Waihohonu hut around the backside of Mt. Ngauruhoe. This was probably my favorite day of the tramp simply because of the diverse terrain I crossed. There was volcanic alpine, complete with steam vents and acidic lakes. Then I descended into a moonscape of lava flows and dry stream beds, strewn with small spots of tussock trying to make a living in the thin soil. I stopped for lunch at the edge of a gorge about halfway through the day and ate an apple watching a great little waterfall and the subsequent stream heading off into a vast plain. From there the track turned west and dropped down onto massive gravel bars. Each one gets flooded from above during a heavy rain leaving colorful striations in the surface stretched out over about a mile from the base of the volcano. Then I descended again into beech forests and cooler temperatures with a couple of stream crossings and good views before I finally arrived at Waihohonu hut about six hours after I left Ketetahi.

The next day I woke early and got a quick start onto the trail. I had 18km to cover and I had to be in Whakapa village by 2pm to make my bus connection. It was hard to put the distance under my feet with any speed because of the great views on either side of me. Both Mts. shrugged off their cloud cover about an hour after I left that morning and I walked with clear views of Mt. Ruapehu on my left and Mt. Ngauruhoe on my right. It was really spectacular. I made a slight detour about an hour from Whakapapa to Taranaki Falls and stopped for a quick drink and a bite.

I arrive in the village about two hours before the bus left, so I treated myself to some tea and a hot lunch at the cafe there. Overall, the Tongariro Norther Circuit was a great tramp. The park is known for its fickle weather and I had three days of sunshine and no rain. I'm really grateful for the views and all of the great colors I was privileged to see. The rocks, the dirt, the water, each of them was unique and stunning. Moss, lichen, and fungus of every kind covered the rocks which were all either course lava or sheer faced basalt. There was red, yellow, and orange colored soils and with the tussock to frame it all it the landscape was truly captivating. I look forward to my next adventure on the south Island in Nelson Lakes National Park. Stay tuned more to come