Lake Taupo and Tangariro Alpine Crossing

Time to explore Great Lake Taupo (pronounced Toe-Paw.  To see and hear how to pronounce Taupo,  go to this cute video www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg9tvuE3K0w).  This lake is BIG:  surface area of 616 square km--238 sq mi.  (To give you an idea how big, Lake Tahoe's surface area is smaller with 490 square km--191 sq mi.) 

The weather was wonderful so what better way to see the lake close up than to rent bikes.  We rode for about an hour each way on a terrific bike path and covered only a fraction of the lake.  It was BEAUTIFUL! 

 Wild flowers along the shore

 Inlets along the lake

 Black swans with red beaks

 This thermal stream was HOT and the lake water COLD

Taking a break during our ride--the black sand looks like coarse ground pepper 

and gets HOT in the sun

And now for our BIG adventure--TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSSING!  When we were in New Zealand 5 years ago, we vowed that if we ever got back here, we'd do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Lake Taupo.  This trek is considered the best 1-day hike in all of New Zealand. It is 19.4 km and takes about 7 hours. It is also considered a 5 (with 5 being the most difficult).  As one guide told me, this is not a hike for the faint-hearted and has very steep ups and downs.  We were psyched for the challenge!

This hike is very popular and there are many transportation companies that take you from your motel to the starting point of the trek, pick you up at the ending point and return you to your motel.  What a pleasure not to have to worry about driving!  This hike is very weather-dependent and you have to check the forecast the day before.  This is an alpine pass that can be very windy and rainy/snowy and is often closed even in the summer.  Although the prediction a few days before was RAIN, we were very lucky and the day we went was beautiful--very little wind, no rain and about a wind chill factored temperature of about 12 -15 degrees C.

So the bus picked us up at 6:30 am and were on the trail by 8:15.   Joined by LOTS of other hikers (99% younger than us--no joke), we started up the mountain.  Well, I can tell you, it was hard going for me and I had to stop frequently on this first ascent.  (I've been doing Zumba for years and I thought I must be in pretty good shape, right?  Well, Zumba goes only so far--I think age must also be a factor and the hike was HARD!  It was not easy for Miles either). No matter!  Encouraged by my hike-motivater (Miles), up, up, up we went step-by-step and before long, we were at the ridge of an incredible volcano.  This whole region is volcano-rich and the views were amazing.  In general, the air was so fresh--like being on top of the world.

 On the ascent to the edge of the red crater with Mt. Tongariro in view 

 

On the edge of the red crater

Great lava formation

Lava and volcano

We continued with a hard ascent towards the summit of the red crater.

 

Me going up an ascent with the help of a chain attached to the rocks 

After a quick lunch break, and small ascent to the summit of the red crater, we started our descent down a very gravelly path to the emerald lakes and blue lake with the most incredible colors. Lots of slipping and the best way down was a kind of side-step slide. Going up is hard aerobically and going down is murder on your knees.  In some places we also smelled the sulfur fumes (i.e. rotten eggs) of the volcano.

Slippery descent to the emerald lakes and blue lake

 Blue Lake

 Overlooking the Emerald Lakes

On we went!  The last part of the trek was a long descent (a couple of hours) of constant downhill on a path (now my toes were smashed and hurting).  In 2012 there was an eruption that damaged the Ketetahi Hut. Luckily, no people were in the hut at the time.  Later we passed a thermal vent that had been created in this eruption. 

Damage to the Ketetahi Hut

Steam coming from a fumerole

 We saw some patches of snow...

 ...and this little snowman with Lake Rotoaira Lake Taupo in the distance

From extremely desolate lava mounds up top, we hiked down through many levels of vegetation, returning to a tropical forest and winding up at the end of the trek around 3:15pm.  Finished!  And still alive!  But oh, my aching feet!

 Signs of life on the descent

This was a thrilling and exceptional adventure and we're both so glad to have been able to do it!