This was an early wake up. 5am. Urgh. I thought I was supposed to be on holiday. I rarely stirred this early. But today was a day off the bike. A rest day perhaps. And what better way to rest than to take part in an 8 hour hiking trek across an Alpine Crossing.
I had got incredibly lucky with the weather. The last week up the mountain had been rained off and yet I had simply waltzed to the crossing in perfect weather conditions. I didn't even know about the crossing, let alone know that I wanted to do it. I wouldn't tell this to any of the unfortunate hikers who had either missed the crossing or were delayed due to bad weather. What can I say? I'm just a jammy bloke.
The Tongariro Crossing is an alpine hiking trek through volcanic landscapes and past crystal-clear lakes. It is considered to be one of the popular one-day treks in the world. The trek takes you through Tongariro National Park; itself containing the Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro massifs. I hope you're paying attention to all of this because there will be a quiz at the end of this post. It's hard to describe the raw beauty of this place but I'll try my hardest...
The crossing began at a relatively high altitude and our shuttle van dropped us off at a little before 7am. I had just enough time to prep my gear and start walking before a minibus full of fellow hikers turned up. With the crossing being so popular it was not uncommon for their to be some congestion on the more challenging parts of the ride. I was now glad of the early morning start, but still quietly resenting having to rise at such an ungodly hour on my day off...!
The walk began with a slow ascent near the base of Mount Ngauruhoe and continued for several kilometers over volcanic terrain. Mount Ngauruhoe was of course used in the filming of Lord of the Rings as scents Mount Doom. Indeed a great number of scenes set in Mordor were filmed in this park. But you already knew that didn't you? I found the walk to be quite challenging due to the volcanic land one was hiking over; I seemed to join be expending a great deal more energy than if I were walking on level ground. I was also delayed several times by needing to strip down my clothing layers. With very little foresight I had put on 4 hiking layers when I first awoke but now, with the blood pumping and my cheeks ruddied, I was starting to perspire.
It was a hiking experience like no other. The slow ascent began to turn into a more challenging climb and as the track turned more hilly I began to scramble up and over each coming ridge. With every step I took my less-used hiking muscles screamed in bloody agony. From an athletic point of view I would not recommend this as a form of rest...! Despite the volume of people attempting the crossing I was rarely held up on the hike. Due to my early start and brisk pace I was fortunate enough to not be stuck behind too many fellow-hikers and was treated with clear views of this strangely Alien landscape.
I was enjoying the trek, stopping regularly to take on water and massage my aching legs, and soon I had taken a detour as I wanted to make the short ascent to the summit of Mount Tongariro itself. A gentle climb and short scramble later and I was at the summit. This was the million dollar shot. From here I had unparalleled views over Mount Doom and the snow-peaked summit of Mount Ruapehu in the far distance. I don't like to use this frequently abused word but the views were honestly breathtaking. This was one of the first moments on the trek that I felt true humility. I was so fortunate to be in such a wonderful place. I considered the miles I had made and the experiences I had undertaken... and I had only been here a week!
I started my descent from the top of the mountain and made my way back to the main pathway when I glanced up at a hiker who had stopped just in front of me. It was Julie, the French cyclist I had met the day before. I couldn't believe it. We had talked about taking the train on Monday and so I had assumed we would bump into each other again, but the chances of seeing each other on this hike were more-than-unlikely! We greeted each other and shared stories of the ride the day before. I now had a hiking buddy for the long descent.
The descent was a glorious walk past crystal-clear lakes and down insanely-fun, steep tracks covered in loose volcanic sand. There was a fun game you would play on these descents: Guess which poorly-equipped tourist would be next to fall on their arse during the descent. I had started to get quite good at it when the track firmed up and the descent became less steep. I chatted to Julie about our respective journeys and how we were both excited to get to the South Island to smash out some serious miles. It was good to have somebody to chat to on the descent after a solo ascent. Julie introduced me to a pair of Canadian travellers whom she had met at a hostel the night before and we chatted about a variety of topics. Often my conversations with others turned to politics and, as a Brit, inevitably the referendum. It was good to chat to people from outside the UK about how the vote and subsequent result was perceived. Fascinating stuff. But anyway, you didn't expect this blog to be a political commentary did you...? Of course not, it's an account of how much food I've eaten and a series of gurning photos. I'll go back to what I know best.
I munched down on my fourth energy of the bar and finished the descent out of the mountains and down the gently sloping pathway through the forest. The forest descent was undercover and provided some respite from the fierce sun. The final few miles seem to drag on for an age but eventually I found myself in a car park surrounded by exhausted hikers. Wow, what a hike! And to think I had no idea it existed until a few days before. I was loaded into the back of the car alongside my fellow hikers and we made the journey back to the hostel.
I was knackered but felt my extortion had justified a celebration and so I made the trip to the supermarket in town and grabbed a couple of beers. The other guys in the hostel had had the same idea and before long we were all partaking in posted inner revelry. With my bunk mates all being at least 8 years younger than me we soon moved on to drinking games - damn teenagers... I can't say that the game of Ring of Fire is something I particularly miss about my teenage years but it was a good way to loosen up after a tough day. Turns out that I still suck at Ring of Fire (and I felt I had was being ganged up on) and soon I had to excuse myself to pass out in my bunk. All this cycling had completely ruined my ability to hold my beer and I was happy to be lying horizontal...
And besides, I had a train to catch in a few days...
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