National Park Backpackers,
North Island,
New Zealand
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Numerous people advised us to do the Tongariro Crossing which is basically a 6-7 hour trek in Tongariro National Park. There are three peaks (active volcanoes), one of which features in the Lord of the Rings. The Tongariro Crossing, in which you walk between the mountains is regarded as one of NZ's best one day walks. It's tough going, lots of climbing over volcanic rocks and slip sliding down the other side of the mountain. We thankfully had good weather as hikers are definitely open to the elements when they reach the top. The Crossing is just under 20km and we did it in five and a half hours - raced the last bit thinking there was a bus at 3pm, there wasn't one until 4. We went back to the YHA in National Park where we stayed the night before. Inquired about getting a bed or a dorm for the night but the receptionist wasn't very pleasant to us so we decided to get on the road to Waitomo.
