Tongariro Crossing / Taupo

We woke up very early the next morning and headed to Tongariro National Park to do a hike known as the Tongariro Crossing. It is described as the best one-day hike in New Zealand and traverses over 11 miles of spectacular volcanic geography. The tour that drops you off at one end and picks you up at the other would have required us to wake up by 5:45 am, which was a bit much since we had landed in Taupo late the night before. So instead, we drove to the Ketetahi Track ourselves and did the hike up and back. The hike started off with climbing up many steps through a forested area. Once we made it above the tree line, the wind made its presence known… there were consistent winds of about 30 mph, along with crazy gusts up to 50 mph. We winded back and forth up the mountain and had great views of Lake Rotoara with Lake Taupo off in the distance.

As we continued climbing, I started to feel pangs of disappointment, as the area over the ridge where the volcanic views would be unfolding was enshrouded in clouds. People who had just come from that area explained that there were no views. But we continued on, and were highly rewarded for our efforts. As we approached the crater valley, the clouds miraculously started to part, and the wonderland of Tongariro unfolded. First there was a large bright blue lake (called Blue Lake), and further down were the Emerald Lakes, three smaller pools that are bright emerald green in color. Moments later, Red Crater came into view, which is a huge volcanic cone comprised of bright red and orange hues. The final steep climb to reach the summit was quite a challenge. But once we made it, we had views of the whole area from the summit, with the volcanic mountain, Emerald and Blue Lakes, and the huge flat crater area surrounding us. Looking at the ascent to the summit coming from the opposite direction, we definitely had done it the hard way. But we could not get over our luck in timing our arrival at the peak just in time for a break in the cloud cover. It was definitely one of the best hikes I have ever completed.

We spent the next morning exploring the Taupo area. Paul made a last-minute decision that he wanted to try bungee jumping. So we headed over to Taupo Bungee, where you can bungee off of a platform over the Waikato River… and I think I was even more nervous than he was! I did my best to take pictures of the whole thing while feeling on edge. He loved the experience… he enjoyed the free-fall and seeing the water rush up at him. He tried to convince me to do a tandem jump with him… and I even considered it for a split-second and walked towards the end of the platform for a peak at what it would be like. I quickly realized that the extreme nervousness I would feel standing on the platform would eliminate any potential enjoyment. So no bungee for me. We also made a quick stop at Huka Falls, a powerful waterfall of bright blue water.