Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Mount Ngauruhoe a.k.a Mount DOOM

Let me start the post out like this:

The top of Mt. Doom also known as Mount Ngauruhoe. Boom.

We (AustraLearn students studying at Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand) took a Naked Bus into Whakapapa, which is on the north side of Mount Ruapehu. We stayed at the National Park Backpackers in the campsite. For the future, I am not keen (cool) on paying $14 for a "campsite" when the national park a.k.a free camping is right down the road. But I digress. 
We set up tents, drank some double browns and called it a night.

Morning came early, like 5am early and we made our way to the base of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and set out before the sun came up. It was freaking freezing so I had on my First Ascent Cloud Layer fleece, this thing is the single best piece of clothing that I own. Hands down. Get yourself one with the link. We hiked for two hours before we got to the base of Mount Ngauruhoe a.ka. Mount DOOM (hiking Mount Doom was just like this) The "trail" up is not on the official Tongariro Crossing path, but is kinda marked by a huge as boulder. We started the climb up and quickly realized that this is going to take awhile, and is going to be a lot of work. As the sun came up it got hot as but still we climb. When I say climb, I mean crawl on our hands and knees begging for mercy because Mount Ngauruhoe is super flipping steep and made of this super loose volcanic sand (scoria) so any steps going up, half are sliding back down, and because we had Frodo on our backs. We finally get to the top of Mount Ngauruhoe a.k.a Mount DOOM and take in the most breathtaking view (see first picture of this post) and also peer down into a dormant volcano.

Panoramic shot from the rim of Mount Ngauruhoe

After we hiked around the top for a bit and ate a cucumber and drank some juice, we began the heart pounding *run for your life* trip down the side of a volcano... check that one off the bucket list.
It was like sand skiing, only if you fell you were guaranteed a bloody elbow or hand or knee or whatever. So with the 20 totally unnecessary pounds of jackets, extra layers, food, extra socks, and camera on our backs that we hiked all the way up with for two hours, we ran/slid/fell down the side of Mt. Doom in 15 minutes. What a rush!

We rested up and got back on the trail, but only after a quick detour along an impassably ridge that we attempted to dominate. Fail. We climbed to the top of the trail and were faced with a decision:

We figured that since we just spent two hours climbing the tallest peak in the area, that heading for the summit was not going to be worth it.
 

  So off we go to beast the Tongariro Crossing!

As we start down the Tongariro Crossing we come across the Red Crater. This thing was huge and very bright red. Really cool. As we keep trekking, we come across these volcanic lakes called "The Emerald Lakes."
These were a most brilliant shade of turquoise and blues and greens that I have ever seen in nature.  Ever. A must see for yourself. Seriously. The lakes get their color from leaching minerals, such as sulfur from surrounding volcanic rock and are surrounded by steaming holes in the volcano.

Panoramic shot of Emerald Lakes

As we begin down the Tongariro Crossing, the barren wasteland of volcano blasted wonderland slowly start to turn into long grass fields, and then before you know it, BAM!

In a rain forest. This rain forest was so cool! It was filled with birds flying around and calling to each other, dense vegetation, and a distant rumbling of a river.









 After 9 hours and 12 miles (plus Mount freaking Doom) we make it to the end of the trail. (My MSR pack towel is a total life saver back at the hostel, it felt so good to shower all that dirt and volcano off) Curtains close...
But wait, naturally the adventures do not stop there.
Before we got on the bus to head home I went for a walk down the road from the backpackers (hostel) and saw this bull just giving me the stink eye. It was so overwhelmingly pretty with the clouds, and the pasture that I needed to share it with all of you. This part is not really an adventure, but this next part is. The bus ride back.




Let me introduce Doom Cat... that's right. Doom Cat.

Her mother is a ninja, her grandmother is a writer, she is a gypsy hippie. She is leaving Wellington because some other prophetic hippie predicted an earthquake in Wellington, so she is taking her harp, flute, and fiddle to Hamilton. I am not joking. Also, she HATES pine trees. I got an earful for the entire ride about how pine trees and cows are destroying New Zealand.

We stopped in Rotorua for a 40 minute break, so friends and I went to get some Indian food. NOM NOM NOM. While we were waiting for our lamb korma this little kid walks from out of the store and demands that we get off of his tables. He then proceeds to take the tables from us and drive his model Mini Cooper around on them. My friend Cara and him get into a fight over who's tables they were. She tells him that the whole country is hers and he is not happy about that one bit. This is where the cheeky bastard steps over the line, he takes his model car and flies it like a missile straight into Cara's crotch out of nowhere. I fall over laughing and my other friend Ace jumps up and starts the kindergarten lectures of personal space and bla bla bla. Never a dull moment.

This weekend the adventure will be attempting to hitchhike 160 km... subscribe to the blog and keep up to date on the adventures of Chris Blanchard.