Tongariro Crossing
So on February 3rd, I took a shuttle from National Park to the start of the Tongariro Crossing. It was cloudy and foggy.
This was the start of the walk. It was foggy, misty, and wet. I put on my rain poncho, so that was covered with raindrops on the outside, but on the inside I was soaking wet for some reason. Probably from the humidity.
So the going got a little bit more rugged, and it's pretty gradual. Getting a bit higher now.
There are some very impressive looking rocks.
After a couple of hours of hiking steady and after one long steep climb, I made it to the "Plataeu" between Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngaurahoe. Here's the side trek to the summit of Mount Doom!
I was rather upset not to climb it. Other travellers had told me it was more of a 2 hour climb, but that didn't change the fact I only had so many hours to get to the finish car-park. Even so, I went a little ways along the path, only to have the poled route end on me. And it was foggy! I didn't want to get lost, so I headed back.
This might've been a crater, but I crossed a large sandy plain pictured here.
Here the path got a bit more treacherous, as the ground consisted of tightly packed smooth wet dirt. But my shoes handled it fine, and there are plenty of rocks to catch you.
Here's a better picture of the teaser I posted a couple days ago. Emerald lakes! Smells like sulfur, but it's more of a nice nature smell. Pungent but not bad.
Some more impressive views.
And so begins the long very gradual descent down the other side. You see quite a bit of this sort of vegetation.
All of a sudden when I reached the Katetahi hut, the mist cleared away, and I had this magificient view to the north for the rest of the descent.
A very small stream ran down through the plants, the water was clearish-green, and the rocks were green. Sort of sulfur-ish, I think.
The crossing used to let you get a close up look at the Katetahi Hot Springs, but now that's on private land. You've only got permission to tramp on the track, so you've got no right to go on their land! Here's a view of the springs from downhill.
From the springs run this neat little creek, the water is murky blue, and the rocks are crusted with it! Bluelishness!
The path meanders over the hills,always with a great view.
All of a sudden the path drops drastically into a thick forest, and runs alongside a creek for a good part. A fitting end to the tramp!
February 3rd of 2006
posted by Jordan Olson @ 5:57 PM
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