Just when I decide it's a good time to do Tongariro Crossing, the mountain has a small tantrum and throws some rocks around. The result? Half the track is closed. I am talking of course about that recent eruption that happened in November 2012. I guess these things just sometimes happen when you are dealing with mountains that come with their own ventilation and sub-woofer systems.
Nevertheless, going half the track and conquering the summit of mt. Tongariro has been a pretty damn cool experience. Even though climbing the devils staircase left me breathless with a stitch at my side wondering if it is below my dignity to just crawl the rest of the way up. Unfortunately, the weather forecast didn't get it quiet right and the day wasn't as clear and cloudless as was promised so I couldn't get a lot of clear photographs. Also, half of the "cloud" cover was steam blown over from the smoking vents. It's pretty cold at the top of the mountain but the steam is like warm wind. The ground is also warm to the touch in some areas and you can see "heat haze" over some spots. I was lucky to hear the volcano rumbling as well. Since about 2 pm it started rumbling periodically.
The landscape is amazing, it's like being in a whole different world. Very prehistoric Old Earth feel.
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| Tongariro's north face. The larger smoker is Te Maari crater, and the reason half the track is closed. |
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| Mt. Ruapehu - the largest ski field in the southern hemisphere. |
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| The red crater |
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| Hardened lava flow |
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| The Emerald lakes |
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| Mt. Ngauruhoe, more commonly known as "Mt. Doom" from that NZ movie... |
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