Tongariro Crossing

The day began at 5:00am, although our alarms forgot to wake us and we were left sleeping. It was only by chance that I awoke at 5:25. It's not natural to have to move that quickly at that time of morning. It was between five and ten minutes before we were on the road heading to the national park from Reid's Farm in Taupo, a busy but free campsite which reminds me somewhat of a festival.

Although we had no time for coffee, we managed to shovel in some porridge, before jumping on the shuttle bus. It was only much later that day when we realised we'd left our campervan unlocked, leaving our home, transport and worldly possessions unprotected. The world was in our favour that day, and on our return, we found our van untouched, and as we had left it.

The world was also in my favour on my second trip across the Tongariro Crossing in January, with my sister. Like our first crossing in October, we were blessed with beautiful weather and stunning views. The 19km crossing takes you through the saddle between two of the volcanoes near Taupo, with the option to take a slight detour up Mount Ngaurhoe, or the easier Mount Tongariro. There are so many striking aspects to the crossing. Due to the rather flat nature of North Island, not only can you see views of Lake Taupo, you can see all the way to Mount Taranaki, which was particularly pretty when topped with snow in October. The colours are also incredible. The reds of the volcanic earth, mixed with the emeralds of the lakes are spectacular on a clear day, and even more so when contrasted with snow.

Both times I've completed the Tongariro Crossing have been bank holiday weekends. Naturally these are busy times, particularly for one of the most popular day walks in New Zealand. Even when we were hiking by 6:30 on our latest hike we were by no means alone. But setting off at this time does mean you are ahead of the majority of people, and particularly on the first two big ascents you don't get too held up by others. Despite the crowds, the panicked start to our first trip here, and the final long and monotonous 2 hour descent, the crossing is stunning.

The Welsh flag has already made it to the summit of Mount Tongariro. We are planning to summit Mount Ngharuoue (Mount Doom) on this Good Friday. The only tiny issue is Cyclone Cook. It seems our plans may be sabotaged, or our quest up Mount Doom might rival that of Frodo. I'll keep you posted!