Halfway around the world, one of the great treks to conquer is 19.4km in the Tongariro National Park. I had booked a three week kiwi tour with this being the #1 must-do activity on the itinerary.
What’s the odds that we were halfway around the world when the biggest rainfall ever and flooding hit the north island? So it was with a heavy heart when our guide shared our day hike was cancelled due to high winds and rain in the region.
But as luck would have it, he DID reschedule for the following day and we couldn’t believe we hit the sweet spot within a 5 day window without a ray of sunlight visible. We certainly didn’t take it for granted!
Our group of 12 enthusiastically set out across the expansive crater floor and enjoyed stretching our legs. Through rugged peaks, we trudged forwarded through gradual and frequent inclines including a few boardwalks as well. And I’ll never forget the baron wasteland and dirt path extending straight as far as the eye could see.
I wanted to attack the hard uphills in solitude and at my own pace, so I plugged in my headphones and zoned out during the tough stretches. These uphill tests are always a great gut check and proof that I should have trained a wee bit harder. Nonetheless, I power through and come out on the other side a stronger person (both literally and figuratively).
After a ridiculously tough 80% angle stretch of incline, we were rewarded with an absolutely stunning view of the red crater. The deep blood-red cut in the landscape took my breath away!
Then immediately following the highest peak, the 3 emerald blue lakes came into view and I knew instantly this overlook was where I wanted to pop a squat to enjoy my lunch in silence.
I purposefully stalled at these breathtaking and boldly colorful pools of water for ages just trying to savor the moment. And I even stuck one of my Fearless Adventures blog stickers on the mile marker sign amongst tons of others as a reminder of this awesome spot.
A small group trudged on from here to finish the second half of the trek down the mountain. At about 16km, I had had enough while the symphony of aches & pains started to creep in. Every step along the never ending switchbacks was a struggle to keep going, but we finally emerged from the densely populated forest with cheers from our travel mates.
With a celebratory beer and team photo at the trailhead, we all reveled in the accomplishment and couldn’t swipe the ginormous smiles off our faces.
Onward to the next adventure!
FearlessAdventures 