So moving on from bad weather reports, we did finally get a nice day in Taupo, so we undertook a short walk along the Waikato River leading to the Huka Falls.
The waters of Lake Taupo and its tributaries are amazing, crystal clear, blue tinged and really inviting - not only are the waters really clean, they are teeming with wildlife and with humans doing all sorts of activities. Lake Taupo and its tributaries are known as the Trout Fishing Capital of the world because the trout introduced in the 1890s have really taken to the waters and lots of Kiwis take advantage of this with a spot of fly-fishing.
Along the Waikato river we came across a free hot spring, a great place for a free sauna - and when the temperature gets too high you simply wade out into the cooler rivers of the Waikato! The Huka falls are more like a very long range of rapids than an actual waterfall, and the presence of busloads of tourists didn't really help to make me appreciate the location more.
On Thursday we got to Turangi in beautiful weather as expected, and booked ourselves for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, what is described as New Zealand's best one day hike. Its about 20km long from start to finish, takes about five to eight hours depending on how fit you are, and along the way you can climb two of the volcanoes in the park - Mt Tongariro and Mt Nguaruhoe - the latter made famous as Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings film.
Being fighting fit Justyna, myself and Jessica (a French Canadian girl staying in our hostel) decided to take on Nguaruhoe for the grueling three hour ascent/descent. The guide books aren't joking when they say its a grueling climb - there are no markers for the ascent, you just look to the summit and work your own way up a very slippery scree slope. When you do finally get to the top the views are worth every drop of sweat, every scratch and every drop of blood you shed from cutting yourself on the sharp volcanic rocks. The emerald lakes are ranged beneath you to the right, just across from you is the open crater of Mt Tongariro and behind you is the gaping chasm that is the crater of Nguaruhoe. In the distance behind the mountain lies the snowy peak of Mt Ruapehu, the only active volcanic peak that is snowed in year round. When it comes to the descent you have two options - a gung-ho 25-30 minute slide down loose scoria or a more cautious descent along the rocks that takes around an hour. The presence of so many tourists on the track makes the gung-ho option a little more dangerous than it should be as lots of rocks come sliding down from above, having been dislodged by the more selfish of the climbers making a speedy descent.
Once down from Mt Nguaruhoe you follow the track at the base of Mt Tongariro, which looks like one big open crater. Once through this valley its a very tough climb (the steepest of the track, besides climbing Mt Nguaruhoe) up to the Red Crater and an excellent view of the Emerald and Blue Lakes ahead, and the three mountains of the park behind you. As you'll see from my photos (to be uploaded later today) the weather really closed in on Mt Nguarugoe shortly after we made our descent. From the Red Crater you descend to the level of the Emerald Lakes (where you can dip your tired feet into the hot volcanic waters) across another valley, then its the final climb up to the rim of the Blue Lake.
Once past the Blue Lake the track is really easygoing, its mostly paved or loose gravel and all downhill! The path takes you along the hills to the Ketetahi hut, then through some privately owned hot springs and further down into some native forest.
It took us the full 9 hours (7:03-16:10) of time we were given by our shuttle driver, but the whole trip was worth it, and I would suggest it to anyone who is fit enough for such an undertaking to have a go. You really haven't been to New Zealand if you don't try one of the Great Walks. The bus driver asked us if we would do the walk again - I certainly would, but next time I'll do the Tongariro Northern Circuit - a three to four day hike that takes in all three mountains and a lot more of the park - plus you can take longer on the walks, since you don't have a bus driver waiting for you at the other end!
Today, Saturday, we've decided to take a "holiday" and not do anything special - just sit in the hostel, drink a few beers, watch a movie; and most importantly allow our aching bodies to recover from yesterday's ordeal! Turangi is a great place to unwind, its very rural, there's hardly any traffic and the hostel we're staying at, the A-Plus Iwiheke Backpacker's is a really cosy, family run place. Ian, the owner, is here all the time and has great advice on places to go, places *not* to go etc. We might even have a communal game of Risk with the other travelers and Ian's family later today.
Tomorrow we're off to Windy Wellington, NZ capital and gateway to the South Island. I'll be uploading pictures from the Tongariro Alpine later in the day as I process them. Here's the link to my Picasa web album where you can see all the pics from NZ so far!
