New Zealand is the land of extremes. It looks like they’ve put all the possible landscapes and weather varieties which the world has to offer into 1 country. The climate shifts from burning hot in summertime to dangerously cold and harsh in wintertime. Besides that you can even have 4 seasons in 1 day. But due to these factors you will get a country that’s unique in any possible way. New Zealand is spectacular and many people fall in love with this small nation even before they set foot into the country. The Lord of the Rings trilogy definitely helped to boost up its tourism even more.
One of the highlights of my 5 week trip through New Zealand at the end of 2015 was a visit to the amazing Tongariro National Park. It could easily be THE reason to pack your bags and fly off to New Zealand immediately! In order to visit the Tongariro National Park you have 2 options: either hike the Tongariro Northern Circuit in 3 to 4 days or pack all the highlights of the Northern Circuit into 1 day and hike the Tongariro Crossing. Like the majority of the crowd I opted to do only the Crossing. I’m sure that if you choose to hike the full Northern Circuit that you will have it all (including the cabins) for yourself.
Tongariro Crossing
I stayed at Extreme Backpackers Hostel in a place called Turangi which is close to the National Park. The owner is fantastic; the 70+ years old Roger is still full of energy! I guess having so many young travelers around you every day keeps you young. His son, who now lives in Miami, came over to help his dad out for a month. Like his dad an awesome guy with which I checked out the nearby natural hot springs almost every evening.
On my way up!
Stunning Mt Ngauruhoe!
From Turangi there are regular morning shuttle buses to the start of the Crossing and regular afternoon shuttle buses back to Turangi from the end of the Crossing.
View during the hike up.
Am I on Mars?
It’s a 6 to 7 hours strenuous hike through an amazing volcanic wonderland. If you feel energetic you can take a few side trips to the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe or Mt Tongariro. Each side trip is roughly 1.5 – 2 hours return.
Still going strong on the Tongariro Crossing! Beautiful Mt Ngauruhoe in the back.
Amazing volcanic wonderland.
The hike starts uphill from Mangatepopo towards the South Crater where you will see steaming Mt Ngaruhoe (above left picture) popping up on your right-hand side.
The Red Crater really lives up to its name!
Why not take a selfie while we’re here!
I started to have the feeling that I was walking on the planet Mars. The scenery just looked so unreal and fascinating!
You will encounter mindblowing scenery during the Tongariro Crossing!
The hike continues uphill towards the Red Crater which is the highest point of the track at 1886m. At this point there’s no vegetation at all anymore and here you will see the leftovers of old lava flows.
The beautiful colored Emerald Lakes; the highlight of the Tongariro Crossing!
Unbelievable view!
But the highlight of the Tongariro Crossing is when you stand on top of the highest point and looking over the beautiful colored Emerald Lakes. This view is just breathtaking and worth every effort to get to this point. The combination of steaming vents, hot springs, beautiful water filled explosion craters and a mountainous backdrop makes up for one of the most stunning views I ever laid my eyes on.
I could stare at this view for hours!
Am I still on planet Earth?
After absorbing this remarkable view and taking plenty of pictures it was time to start my descent. You will hike / slide down towards the Emerald Lakes. This side of the mountain is completely covered with sand and small rocks so be careful here. I found this part more difficult and tiring than going uphill.
Photo bomber!
Going downhill pass the Emerald Lakes.
There are plenty of hikers who take their lunch sitting around one of the Emerald Lakes. Not really my cup of tea or in this case cup of egg as the smell of rotten eggs is not something you can easily take out of a volcanic crater. I took my lunch a lit bit further downhill.
Anyone fancy a lunch?
No words to describe this view. Just; wow!
Before reaching Ketetahi you have to ascend one more hill; from this hill you will be rewarded with stunning views on the Red Crater from which you just came down.
Last glimpse off the Red Crater.
Going downhill pass the vegetation.
From Ketetahi towards the end of the Crossing you will notice that the vegetation starts to pop up again. The last bit of the track leads you through a lush forest.
Starting to slide back into the ‘real’ world.
Last pic before reaching the forest.
The Tongariro Crossing is arguably New Zealand’s (or maybe even the world’s) best one day walk. The scenery and views are out of this world! It feels like you’re not walking on planet Earth anymore. Here you can find more useful information about the Crossing. Don’t miss out this volcanic gem!
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Pat, this is really awesome!! Great article. I am going there in two month (hopefully), thanks for the tips!! 🙂
Thanks for your kind words Daria! You will have a blast! Are you planning to do more hikes in NZ?
Nz got the best trails that I have ever seen. I made the most out of my NZ travel thru the help of New Zealand Vacations, visit their site for more details.
I love these hiking trails. I will definitely try this activity.