Tongariro Oct 2-3

Or: 225° of Mt Ngauruhoe

We left Wellington early; somewhere around the mythical time of 4AM, and drove north. I spent much of the drive comfortably unconscious, but relapsed into vague patches of consciousness in which I noticed the unpromising look of thick cloudy weather, contrary to forecast. At a later point I rubbed my eyes to stare at the voluminous Mt Ruapehu and the perfect cone of Mt Ngauruhoe (active volcanoes of the North Island Volcanic Plateau), which were fringed by bright blue skies. This is the weather that was forecast, so it was all go.

We immediately realized there was considerably less snow than we were anticipating, making for easier conditions. We set off from the Mangatepopo Valley, start of the world-famous Tongariro Crossing, which we would follow for several hours. Between our leisurely pace and stopping for photos, we crossed paths with a large group of tourists several times. The trail now avoids the Devil's Staircase, making for an easier climb to South Crater. En route we had great views of the 1954 lava flow we walked past, a great reminder of the activity of the area. At South Crater we had a snack while we contemplated what to do with the great conditions and debated how ambitiously we were going to spend our day. We opted to follow the track to the steaming Red Crater, then following the pole-marked ridge to Mt Tongariro, from which we enjoyed panoramic views of the snow-covered volcanic landscape.



From here we cross-countried over to the infrequently-visited North Crater, which was a tidy 80m depression in a kilometer-wide plateau. A careful descent of the plateau, then yet another climb to Rotopaunga, where we attempted to peer into some of the active features to the north, including the Colosseum-like Sulfur Lagoon crater. We followed the ridge around the frozen Blue Lake and crossed the Central Crater, which had lovely light leaking through the edges of the clouds and crater slopes. There is a particular photo I visualized on my first visit to Tongariro. Unfortunately, for this photo to be taken a multitude of stars must be aligned and after three visits, the grand view eludes me still.

North Crater






We continued past the frozen Emerald Lakes and down into the dramatic rock-piled volcanic landscape of the Oturere Valley. We reached the delightedly-warm Oturere Hut just as dark came on. Morning's golden glow gave much magic to the rocky landscape. Once the glow faded and comfortable walking temperatures were reached, we set off across the sparsely-vegetated, wind-swept hills in the shadow of rain created by the high peaks.

Oturere Valley


Mt Ruapehu






The temperature was pleasantly hot thanks to the unencumbered sun above and the black rocks radiating underfoot. We took some time exploring the Waihohonu Valley, locating springs and crossing brisk streams surging in snowmelt from the warmth of the day. We continued across the desert landscape to the historic Waihohonu Hut, before continuing on to the Desert Road where we were promptly picked up by our carpool and drove back to Wellington. Thanks to Lara and Lisa for the warm hospitality.





Left to Right: Rotopaunga, Blue Lake (frozen), Central Crater, South Crater, Ngauruhoe, Mt Tongariro