Crossing the Tongariro

Another great adventure has been had. Yesterday Evan and I hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the Tongariro National Park in the central part of the north island. It’s one of the most beautiful places we have trekked on our journey. (It’s rated one of the best day treks in all of New Zealand.) The 19 Kilometer (12 mile) hike leads though volcanic terrain and then gains steep elevation to the saddle of the South and Red Crater which are sandwiched between two volcanic peaks, Mt. Ngauruhoe (2287m) and Mt. Tongariro (1967m). Despite the reports for bad weather descending upon us we were able to reach the top before experiencing it’s fierce blow. Thank goodness I had Evan to hold onto as we battled the winds, as I think I might have blown right off the crater. It was quite a challenging experience, but we were rewarded with amazing views of the Emerald Lakes and the two volcanic peaks. We were greeted with sunshine upon the decent and a beautiful rainbow. A hot shower and a home-made burger on the “barbie” were are final rewards. Ahh, this is life.