Tongariro 1

The day we left Paraparaumu we ambled north, stopping wherever there was a long, silky estuary or a lovely view, to have a cup of tea and some birthday cake. This meant we ate a lot of cake.

By evening we were driving across extensive heather moorland into the Tongariro National Park: land that was a gift to the  nation from a Maori Chief in the 1880's on condition, because it was regarded as sacred land by his people, that it was never settled. The park contains 3 active volcanoes; Tongariro, Ngauruoe and Ruapehu.

I thought I had left the really dramatic landscapes behind on South Island but this was before I had walked the 19.4 kilometres of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

We caught the 8 a.m. shuttle bus the following day to the start of the trail by the skin of our teeth. Even then, although we got down to the campsite gate with a few seconds to spare, we would have missed the bus if the driver hadn't come looking for us.
"If you want to do the crossing," he said "It's no good standing there. That's the queue for the camp shop!"
When we arrived at the dropping off point the tops of the volcanoes and surrounding peaks were hidden in low cloud and drizzle. Everyone on the bus was given the option of returning to base rather than start the walk but noone took it. After visiting the last toilet for miles (long drop again, and not a pleasant experience because of the popularity of this walk) we set off.

The Crossing is described as being the best one day walk in New Zealand but because of this we had almost not done it. There'll be far too many people, we thought, and it's true that we were never walking alone but at this time of year - Autumn - the numbers are down and it was possible to keep some distance between us and walkers in front and behind, or to find a quiet place to sit and contemplate the scenery, if we wanted to.
At first we walked through the mist across a plateau that was an alpine garden full of stocky blonde grasses and other plants that hugged, and were able to hold onto the stony ground. There was no cover of any kind so it was just as well that it was cool.
Then the path began to rise and we were walking between striking formations of lava, around banks devoid of plant life which were the ends of lava flows, beside mountain slopes striped black with solidified rivers of lava.
We climbed steeply upwards on a track strewn with pumice and amongst boulders of many colours as a result of their smelting in the heart of Tongariro. We took a last look down at the ground we'd already covered before turning a corner.

And now we were walking in the mist across a huge crater.

But before we'd crossed the crater the sun had begun to burn off the mist and the conical shape of neighbouring Ngauruhoe was almost in view.
There was another short but steep climb at the other side of the crater and then a walk up a ridge. We decided to have a short rest here, hoping that the whole of Ngauruhoe would be revealed before we had to move on, and not realising what was in store for us just around the corner.