Tongariro Northern Circuit

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone!

We just completed our final tramp in NZ and I know you are all dying to hear about it....
The trip we completed was the Tongariro Northern Circuit. It was a four day trip in Tongariro National Park, a very volcanic area of the country.

Day One: Was pretty boring. We only hiked for three hours and then sat around in a hut all day. We had really good views of a Mt. Ngauruhoe, a huge volcanoe that was used as Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings.

Day Two: Included the Tongariro Crossing, NZ's most famous day walk. Even though we left the hut at 8 am, we were surrounded by day walkers for the first half of the hike. It was pretty funny to see how unprepared they were for the weather and how out of shape they were walking up the first stretch of hill. Pretty early in the day we did a side trip up Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom). It was a pretty tough climb and the weather at the top was very cloudy and very cold. Jay's leg hair was frozen into little strands of ice. There was no visibility at the top, but we could see the edge of a giant crater. Despite the weather, I think we are both pretty happy to say that we have climbed Mt. Doom. Day Two also included walking across two giant craters and some great views of a red crater and some emerald coloured lakes.

Day Three: The very cold weather continued on Day Three. There was a pretty severe wind chill for most of the day and our faces are definitely burned from it. However, the day included walking among rocks from a lava flow. It was like walking on Mars...very very cool.
Day Four: Was also very cold with misty rain for most of the day. On the last day of the hike we usually are ready for a shower and some real food, so we just walk as fast we can.
After the hike, we drove to Rotorua and went to the Polynesian Spa for a soak in the famous healing waters of the Priest Spa. It was a pretty relaxing end to the hike.

We spent all of today driving from Rotorua to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. The drive was supposed to take 6.5 hours but ended up taking almost 8 because a semi rolled on the highway and we got sent on a crazy detour.

We are planning on spending the next 5 or 6 days relaxing on the beaches in the north and then we will head to Auckland to catch our flight back home.

Take care,
Erin