Grey sky, clouds and even drizzling rain. Not a very promising beginning of the day. But we knew the forecast and hoped for better weather on our much-awaited hike: Tongariro Alpine Crossing, according to several sources one of the best day-hikes in the world:
“Trek across a volcanic alpine landscape of dramatic contrasts – steaming vents, glacial valleys, ancient lava flows, alpine vegetation and vivid crater lakes, all with stunning views.”
A hike which also got a popularity boost after the screening of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as the volcano Mount Ngauruhoe was used for Mount Doom of Mordor.
A shuttle bus took us to the start of the track and guess what? Sunshine! Ok, now it’s just 19.4km of hiking track, 1196m change of altitude and many other hikers with the same goal.
It’s difficult to describe this track better than DOC has done it already (see above). So from our side just the confirmation, that this hike should really be on your bucket list for New Zealand. Wandering over not-so-old lava flows, seeing the stunning colors, smelling the sulfur scents, hearing the steam vents and overlooking crater landscapes out of this world was just… wow!
It took us almost exactly 6 hours (incl. breaks) to reach the end of the track and the bus stop. Guess what? We just arrived on time for one of our shuttle (they run every hour) and it had just four seats left.
Starting point 
Mount Ruapehu
Lava formations 
“Mount Doom” 
Volcano lakes 
Recent eruption 
Before our slide down 
Volcano lake 
Great views 
North Crater
