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New Zealand: Tongariro

Mt Ngauruhoe
Mt Ngauruhoe, a younger volcanic cone on the side of Tongariro

With my work done in Taranaki, I didn't waste any time in driving to Whakapapa Village, the main town in Tongariro National Park in the centre of the North Island. On the way I passed through sleepy Raurimu, where only the Saturday before a loony had gone crazy with a gun and blown a bunch of innocent people away. It was such a tiny little place, easy to miss in the blink of an eye, which just goes to show that in this day and age, it's always the quiet ones that go off at the deep end...

Mark posing in front of Mt Ngauruhoe
Posing in front of Mt Ngauruhoe

The Circuit

The Emerald Lakes
Perched on the ridge leading down from Mts Tongariro and Ngauruhoe are the aptly named Emerald Lakes

The walk took me clockwise round the circuit, staying for two nights in huts. I went round Tongariro and Ngauruhoe – Ngauruhoe being a younger, parasitic cone on the side of Tongariro, but looking more impressive due to its size – and along the flanks of Ruapehu. Throughout the walk the weather was cloudless, which made a massive difference. I started off at Whakapapa, home to the famous Tongariro Chateau, an imposing hotel that was apparently used to house mental patients in the war (which only adds to the slightly eerie air of The Shining that the hotel has). From there I headed northeast through tussock and occasional clumps of forest; the first two hours of track were eroded, slippery and, to be honest, a bit of a pain, but once I reached the Mangatepopo Hut things started to hot up, quite literally. After a quick side trip to the Soda Springs, one of the few waterfalls in the area, it was time to start climbing.

The Emerald Lakes
The path winds right past the Emerald Lakes
The central crater of Tongariro
The central crater of Tongariro

In the Shadow of Ruapehu

Mt Ruapehu and the Lower Tama Lake
Mt Ruapehu and the Lower Tama Lake

On day 2 we picked up another tramper – Monika from Munich – and stomped our way through the moonscape to the eastern side of the park, eventually passing through Oturere Hut and on to Waihohonu Hut.

Taranaki Falls
Taranaki Falls

1 Oh yes I would, at Gunung Rinjani in Indonesia.