Kiwi Experience Part 4

Our last stop on our tour before heading back to Auckland was Lake Taupo. Taupo is in the center of the North Island and the city is around the northern shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. Taupo has become something of resort town and a hub for adventure travelers, bungy jumping and skydiving being big draws. Lots of people visit Taupo for the fishing, apparently some of the best trout fishing in the world is at Lake Taupo.

Our one fully day in Taupo we spent on the Tongariro Crossing. We were picked up at 5:45am for a 1.5 hour drive to Mangatepopo, the start of the 17km (one way) hike. The crossing is often described as the best one-day hike in New Zealand, and provides an opportunity to experience some of the volcanic areas of Tongariro National Park (home of Mt. Doom). The park is part of Taupo volcanic zone and in 1995 and 1996 Mt. Ruapehu (the highest and largest of the three volcanoes in the park) erupted.

Unfortunately, while the weather forecast indicated that the weather would clear (it had been pouring buckets of rain the day before) and the hike would be open, the rain continued until nearly the end of the trek. When we were probably about 3km from the end the sun appeared and the sky cleared, but until that point it was cold and rainy so we really didn’t get to see much of the park. I have to say at one point I though we must have looked like Sam and Frodo walking and climbing to Mt. Doom as the terrain we just as it appeared in the Lord of the Ring. I wish I had been able to get a photo but the weather was just too miserable.

Needless to say, after such a long hike, my legs felt like lead, it’s a good thing they next day was mostly spent on the bus heading back to Auckland.