Now you may have noticed that the majority of the places we went in NZ had beautiful blue skies and sunny weather. For the two events that I had planned, however, the weather was anything but nice. There were two things that I wanted to do in New Zealand, and the first was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
"New Zealand's oldest national park and a dual World Heritage Site. The
Tongariro National Park is rich in both cultural identity and dramatic,
awe-inspiring natural scenery. Unique landforms, including the volcanic
peaks of Ngauruhoe, Tongariro and Ruapehu ensure the Tongariro Alpine
Crossing is considered a world-renowned trek.
The Tongariro
Alpine Crossing is heralded as the best one-day trek available in New
Zealand, while others say it ranks among the top ten single-day treks in
the world.
Many who complete the 19.4-kilometre journey will
tell you the climbs can be steep and the weather unpredictable, though
worth it in every aspect."
The volcanic field is so spectacular that it was the site Mordor and Mt. Doom for Lord of the Rings.
There are Emerald Pools.
And a Blue Lake.
These are what I imagined New Zealand to be. These are what I came to see...
I booked accommodation months in advance, arranged transportation to and from the trek, packed snacks the night before and went to bed in the sunlight of the night before (it's light until like 10pm).
I woke up at 6pm to the sound of rain. The snow capped peaks you could see from National Park were hidden in dense fog. Fog so dense you could barely see across the road. I had read the this was a spectacular fair weather hike, and it looked like we'd be doing it in far from fair weather.
In the drizzle and fog we set out on our 20 kilometer hike.
Don't worry Mom, we got the green light!
The fog gave it all an eerie feel walking through the craters and old lava fields.
For about 5 minutes at the top of a steep climb, the mist cleared to reveal that were were on the ridge of a huge crater.
But the fog was back again came back over the ridge as we wandered our way to the summit of Mt. Tongariro almost 2000 meters straight up from sea level.
Then it was down the lava fields, carefully sliding through the black gravel, to the Emerald Pools.
We walked by an invisible Blue Lake to the east side of the mountains where we zigged and zagged along the alpine forested cliff. T
he sky did clear a bit as we made our way down to see Lake Taupo.
By the time we made it out of the rainforest, the sun was shining, and looking back, the halo of mist around the peaks had disappeared. But not to despair too much, it returned not too short after.
Maybe I can come back to do it in the snow of winter (it's a popular thing too)...
But in the end, I saw everything I wanted to through the bonus of an ethereal lens. And it was all still very spectacular, perhaps my favorite thing in New Zealand. Not to mention it was a good day's walk, which I hear is good for your health...
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