Tongariro Alpine Crossing day hike
We woke up 4:45 am to catch the shuttle to the trail head of the best day hike in New Zealand: the 19.4km (12 miles) Tongariro Alpine Crossing into a volcanic alpine environment, a must-do in New Zealand but does require a bit of preparation. I just wore my regular running shoes, two layers of clothing, warm hat and gloves in the morning, then switched to a summer hat and thin clothing in the afternoon.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike goes across a landscape of craters, active volcanoes, scattered pumice, mountain springs, lava flows, scoria and mounds of volcanic rock looking like they have been carved into statues. There is contrast of colours with the perfectly blue and emerald lakes to the fiery red crater. Most of the trails were mashed and easy to walk on, except from the peak down via sliding loose rocks.
Wow, had no idea that such a place exists in New Zealand. First photo of Jennifer and volcano is great.
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