Tongariro Alpine Crosssing

Doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing immediately after a long 5 hours bus trip was a No No. But with the all expectations and the excitements to look forward to after few weeks of planning, cancelling the trip was the last thing on our minds.

A call to DOC office on Friday late afternoon to check on the weather forecast disrupted our long planned trip. Initially our plan was to travel on Saturday and do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Sunday. However the weather forecast for Sunday was : rain, wind speed at 90 km/hr at the summit, temperature -7°C and snow at 1200 m. You wouldn't want to attempt the Crossing on these atrocious weather conditions. Then quick exchanges of phone calls and txts on late Friday afternoon and we decided to depart in the early hour of 6.15 am on Saturday. Instead we plan to do the Crossing immediately on arrival as we as time is running short to complete the Crossing.

After 5 hours on the road,we finally arrived at Mangatepopo car park at 11.30 am. After a very brief rest, up came the packs on the back and off we went. It was sunny, blue sky, not much cloud and even though the temperature was cold but it was ideal for tramping.

It was quite an easy walk from here to Soda Springs. But it was also the first sign of a more serious things to come. My tibialis anterior muscles started to feel sore and tense. Not a good sign.

We reached Soda Springs after 1 1/2 hours of hurrying through this section. The pace was too fast. But then we knew we started late and needed to cover up for the difficult climb ahead. A short lunch break at Soda Springs was a welcome relief for my aching muscles. After putting many hours of training, I knew I was fit enough to complete the Crossing without much difficulty. However the muscle pain was definitely not a good sign.

Now it was the Devil's Staircase we were heading into. It was named with a purpose, for sure. Yes it was very hard climbing up those never ending steps and definitely taking heavy toll on your lower body. We were reaching for the height of 1600+ m above sea level.

It was almost over for me at this point. The left calf muscle cramp started to set in and also a slight pull on the left hammy. The cramp was quite severe. Fortunately, with the help from fellow tramper, Zee, a short rest and stretching the affected muscle, I was able to continue slowly. Not too long into the slow walk, this time it was the right calf muscle decided to have a go. Now I have a double whammy! Zee and Rome offered to carry my backpack. Without their assistance, I don't think I am able to complete the Crossing. I was almost given up taking any photos and videos after the cramp.

The climb from South Crater to Red Crater was difficult, and with scoria all over the hard surface, the track was slippery underfoot. It was definitely very hard trying to reach the Red Crater, at 1800+ m, especially with cramp on both legs. Pushing yourself up the slope induced more cramp to both calf muscles. With the wind blowing at 70+ km/hr and the temperature dropping to -2°C, it was like near impossible to continue. We took shelter behind a big rock. Even with woollen gloves, your fingers just couldn't feel anything. The disposable heat pad did come in handy to warm up my hands.

The cramp was due to dehydration, insufficient sleep the night before and wearing tramping short in extreme cold weather. I haven't sipped water throughout the 5 hours journey. Due to the last minute change of travelling plan, you couldn't sleep soundly and waking up every hour.

Slowly but surely, with the back facing the direction of the wind, we managed to reach the Red Crater after 2 3/4 hours of walking. By now we were in the most dangerous zone of the track. The summit is the most scenic part of the Crossing. Cold wind continued to blow but managed to take some shots of the crater and surrounding scene. We took shelter behind a big rock. Fingers, even with gloves, were near freezing point!

From Red Crater to Emerald Lakes was the easiest part of the whole track. With the loose earth and scoria, you literally slide down the slope. That was a welcoming relief for my cramped legs.

The Emerald Lakes were name after the colour due to mineral deposits in the lake. Together with the Red Crater, these must be the most scenic part of the track. At this point the wind did slow down.

The Central Crater was quite flat and was a welcoming relief after the early uphill climb. We have been walking for 4 hours covering 9 km by now. Another 10 km to go from here to the Ketetahi Car park. A 30 minutes walk took us to the Blue Lake. We have a brief stop alongside the Lake for some photos before heading towards North Crater.

We picked a spot for another stop along the North Crater for some snacks, and overlooking Te Maari Crater. Hot steam and volcanic gases still pouring out from the Crater. Then it was time to move again as we have only covered 1/2 the distance. There were still patches of snow beside the track as we sidled along the North Crater towards Ketetahi Shelter.

The track now was mostly downhill , with Lake Rotoaira and its surrounding mountains right ahead, with Lake Taupo further away. As we approaching the Shelter, the landscape changed from volcanic rock to golden tussock grassland. Even with the overcast sky, the tussock grassland grew more golden under the late afternoon sun.

We have brief stop inside Ketetahi Shelter, then picked ourselves up and moved again as the sunset was still a long way away. After the 2012 eruption, which damaged part of the Ketetahi Shelter, it was no longer used for accommodation purpose.

After 25 minutes of leaving the Shelter, we arrived at the Ketetahi stream. Generally from here to the Ketetahi car park, the track is downhill with steps at intervals. Even though it was downhill and quite flat, it took us another 2 hours to reach the car park.

We crossed the wider part of the Ketetahi stream after an hours of leaving the Shelter and into the forest. By now the sunlight was blocked by the trees. It was quite cold and dark. This part of the track seemed to be never ending, especially when the sun was setting.

By the time we emerged from the forest, it has took us 8 hours.

There were few important points we could learn from this trip.

1. If weather is bad, postpone it. There is always some other times you to do it.
2. Plan and don't rush .
3. Keep your body hydrated. Bring sufficient water.
4. Do stretches and warm up those muscles properly.
5. Be prepare for weather change. Bring warm clothing : beanie, thermal gloves, long pant, windproof and warm jacket.

We probably made the right decision to do the Crossing  on Saturday. Otherwise we have to wait till Tuesday where the weather forecast was excellent. It was the right option even though was not the best decision.

As mentioned on the DOC website, Tongariro Alpine Crossing indeed is the best one day walk. However the track is very much weather dependent. Just remember that the weather at the car park is vastly different from that on the summit.  

Video Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fuZ8rWiLctUrIuRZe0cFU9EjJWIYdfr2/view?usp=sharing

Photo Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fuZ8rWiLctUrIuRZe0cFU9EjJWIYdfr2/view?usp=sharing