The one where the best was less than the best

The Tongariro Crossing is called the best one day walk in New Zealand.

From the NZ Department of Conservation website:

The Tongariro Crossing track passes over varied and spectacular volcanic terrain. In the presence of active volcanoes you can experience some of Tongariro National Park’s special gifts. A cold mountain spring, lava flows, an active crater, steam vents, emerald-coloured lakes and magnificent views combine to make this an enjoyable and memorable trip.

So I wanted to walk it.

(And for you Lord of the Rings fans, (ahem, K), the walk traverses the areas filmed as Mordor and one of the volcanoes you pass was Mt Doom.)

I was running a bit late in the morning so I jogged/ran from my hostel to the depot where I was supposed to meet the bus. I made it and we took off. First stop: my hostel.

Anyway, I was first off the bus and onto the trail (7:25am) so I could avoid the crowds--it's a hugely popular walk and the busses pretty much line up. It was really foggy and hard to see much. I decided to take pictures every 15 minutes of whatever I could see to have a better record of what I expected to be one of the best days I'll ever have hiking.

As we (by an hour or so in, I'd caught up with some others) were starting the hard bit the weather rolled in. A heavy drizzle mostly, which wasn't too bad (other than the realization that my raincoat wasn't keeping out the rain).

But by the time we got to the steepest section, it was not good. By which I mean REALLY BAD. The winds were maybe 40mph or so, gusting much higher. Visibility was about 50 yards. It was sleeting. At one point I found a big rock to hide under while I dug out my gloves (thank god I got gloves...). I put them on and frost immediately formed. I never even saw the sign for the side trek I was going to take to the peak of Mt Tongariro.

It cleared up a bit on the other side of the ridge, but it was still pretty yucky along the Emerald Lakes/Blue Lake region. Which looks fantastic in the postcards.

So I was using the alarm on my cell phone to tell me my 15 minute increments to take pictures, which I hadn't taken in a while because of the weather. But my raincoat, remember, she is not keeping out the rain. So the phone started going nuts--it, inside my pocket, kept beeping and turning to camera mode and taking pictures. I had to finally take the battery out. And the camera, that stopped too. No beeping, no nothing.

Finally, after we passed the North Crater we could see what we came for: mountains, with big lakes set in the background (Lake Taupo, that smaller one I don't remember the name of) against a fierce land. I had views of the lakes and Mt Rotopaunga during the entire descent to the Ketehai hut.

Without the side trip to the peak I had some extra time so I ate lunch in the hut. Then, we descended to a rain forest for the rest of the trip back to the parking lot.

I bought a new camera in Wellington, so pictures will resume shortly. What I do have from Tongariro will be up in a couple of days...

Good: The sights of the mountains with Lake Taupo in the distance
Not: I no camera for most of it
Good: What I could see of Emerald and Blue Lakes
Not: I don't like windy sleet
Good: The volcanic activity in the Ketehai Hot Springs
Not: there were lots of people and no animals (well, I saw one bird)
Good: The running commentary with Amanda and her husband as we jockeyed for position.
Bad: My raincoat didn't work
Good: That weird plant where the leaves line up on each branch/stem (see the 4th one on this guy's site).
Bad: Irish eyes smile. My ankles weep and moan.
Good: I saw snow. And in December at that!

Joy,
sg