I'm up at 6.30am. Its still dark. A bus leaves the hostel at 7.15 to bring hikers to the start of the trail so the Hostel is a hive of activity at this hour with people rushing around getting themselves ready. I make myself some breakfast and sandwiches for lunch in the hills. As I buttered the bread I looked out and couldn't believe the sight in forn of me. There was Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom) in full view, clear of any clouds. The air was so clear the dark silhouette of the mountain looked razor sharp. The sun hadn't yet come up but it was getting bright and the light, wispy clouds above were beginning to turn pink as the sun approached. Dawn was beautiful. The sun rose to the right of Mt Doom leaving it in dark shadow. It stood out in sharp relief against a pink sky with the clouds turning blood red. It was one of the most spectacular sunrises I've seen. Unforgettable. The air was sharp, cold and clear. I couldn't wait to get onto the mountains.
Some 30 of us from the hostel were doing the hike today. We clambered on board the bus which took us over to the start of the trail and, by 7.50am, we were following a path into the hills. There were many other buses in the car park. A lot of people milled about at the start There were a couple of school groups amongst the trekkers of all ages. There would be a big crowd on the trek today. I decided to get moving. Off to the right lay Mt Ruapehoe, an active volcanoe on which a winter ski resort operates. The volcanoe erupted spectacularly in the mid-90's.
We started off crossing a stretch of moorland. The sun was still low in the sky so the mountains loomed over us in dark shadow. We followed a narrow valley to a ridge at the base of Mt Ngauruhoe. It was all quite easy. Instead of scrambling up a scree strewn slope there were steps and pathways which facilitated the climb. That doesn't mean to say I wasn't puffing by the time I got to the top of the ridge but compared to Villarica in Chile it was a cakewalk. I took a breather at the base of Mt Doom. The landscape up here looked like something off the moon or Mars. It was bleak. There was no vegatation. A flat basin led from the base of Mt Doom to a second steep ridge which rose up the side of Tongariro. I was pushing hard as I intended taking a side route to climb Mt Tongariro and we had been told if we intended doing this not to delay in order to be down in time to meet the bus on the far side at 4pm. Quite a few climbed Tongariro. a small group set about the more difficult slope of Mt Ngauruhoe itself. I preferred the doing Tongariro as the shots from there are more spectacular. Those of us climbing Tongariro were all pushing that little bit extra and quite a few of us were blowing hard when we reached its summit.
The views from here were stunning. Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom) stood high above us and in the background lay the snow-flecked slopes Mt Ruapehoe. A few of us sat in silence munching on our sandwiches and drinking in the views. It was one of those places you didn't really want to leave. Regaining the main route we passed along the rim of the 'red crater', the principal vent of Tongariro. All the volcanoes are active here but it was this crater which showed the most obvious signs. Sulphurous steam vented out from the crater and from its sides as we slipped and slid down its slopes. Two small brilliantly green lakes lay at the base of this slope. Accompanying them were strong wafts of Suphur. I didn't delay too long, not wanting to remain in rotten egg/fart infested territory any longer than necessary. A short walk across a level plain and a brif climb brought us to the shores of a larger lake. I took a breather here in clear cooler air. After this it was basically downhill all the way to meet the bus down in the lowlands. We left the spectacular views of the volcanoes behind and took on the more conventional mountain sights. While it was beautiful. After what we had just passed through it seemed almost bland.
Some 6kms from the finish there was an overnight hut perched on the side of the mountain we were descending. I took a breather here. I had plenty of time to kill as the warnings we had recieved about not having much time proved a little over the top. Having pushed hard earlier on though I was beginning to feel it now so a breather and a top up of the water bottle was welcome at this hut. I bumped into an Austrian girl here called Katherine. Our paths had crossed a few times since Mt Cook on buses nad in the same hostels but while we had said hello we'd never actually spoken. She sat down for a breather and we chatted finding out where each others travels had led. As soon as we started talking we didn't stop and chatted the whole way down the mountain. The last 6kms flew and instead of struggling down to the bus I barely noticed the time passing. It was a pity we hadn't started talking sooner. Down at the bus Katherine met her bus and went off to Lake Taupo where she was staying for a few days. She's keeping a blog as well (http://travelkat09.blogspot.com) so I'll have a wee look to see how her travels progress.
Waiting for the bus, everybody sat or lay in the sun. By now there were a lot of tired bodies, mine included. The weather had been perfect, as good as I had hoped for. The crossing was probably one of the most spectacular hikes I've done. It certainly redeemed New Zealand for me. Back at the hostel I ate well this evening, everybody did.
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