NZ Road Trip #4: Tongariro

An insight of the day we found out that Frodo and Sam were NOT as lazy as we thought - at least they made it!

The attempt of walking the 8 hours Tongariro Alpine Crossing (classified as one of World's top 10 one day walks by National Geographic) started at the information desk. As we got there (of course, not as early as we had planned) the first thing we were told that some showers were expected in the afternoon. But we felt strong and full of courage - we had our hiking boots and a simple raincoat we had bought, that fits in a surprisingly small bag.

Of course, we warned the information desk assistant that as good as we look like, we are not sporty people:

Us: "I know we are young and pretty, but please consider, we have absolutely NO physical condition and NO hiking experience" (we lied - me and my best friend HAD some hiking experience... but it was a nightmare and as we almost died we didn't want to consider it as "experience").

Assitant: "Oh no don't worry about that, it's a easy path"

Us: "Yes, uhm, but how steep is it?"

Assistant: "Well, the only difficult part is the beginning, which is pretty steep... but you can avoid it by starting on the other side of the walk (in Ketetahi Car Park)".

That sounds like a plan!

Here's a map of the 19.4km walk.

And just fyi - this actually was quite useful for our decisions- here's a picture of the different steeps and heights we were going to face that day (our tour started on the right side).

Anyway, now you must be wondering why anyone is willing to go through this suffering. Well, there are some good reasons I guess:

- It was the location of Mordor and the Plains of Gorgoroth (Lord of the Rings)

- You get to see a variety of natural scenes: volcanoes, geysers, lakes, forests...

- You meet other healthy/motivated people on your way...

Unfortunately, despite our good intentions, we did not lie about our physical condition and had to turn back after reaching the Ketetahi Hut. This is what we managed to see on our 4.5 hrs trip.

Recommendation: Be prepared. Practice some sport regularly before trying to do the Tongariro Crossing, even if the path is easy... half of the time (at least) you will be walking up the hill. Take 2L of water with you (per person) 'couse there's not such as a water fountain on the way. Take comfortable shoes and not too many coats and jackets (you'll start sweating after the first 45 min walking).

I'm sure that walking the complete path must be amazing... and I regret my laziness! I just hope to be fit enough next time!