Hiking the Tongariro Crossing
Thanks to “The Lord of the Rings”, New Zealand has become even more famous for its diversity of magical landscapes. Now it attracts even the nerdiest of tourists because “it’s bloody Middle Earth”. This puts hiking Tongariro Crossing on top of the tourist checklist. That’s either because it takes you through colourful craters and lakes, or because “it’s bloody Mount Doom”. The possibility to refer to it as “Mt Doom” actually spares people the embarrassment of trying to pronounce “Mt Ngauruhoe”.
The trail takes you through 19.4 km of volcanic beauty between Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. It starts at Mangatepopo road and finishes at Ketetahi road end. You could do the hike the other way around, of course, but that would mean more climbing. You need to arrange transport to the start of the hike and from the finish. The night before the hike we stayed at Discovery Lodge where they offer shuttle service. It lets you have a very early start and that’s great if you want to beat the crowds. They also give you a briefing and make sure you have all the mandatory gear for a hike in an alpine environment. It’s well organized.
Mangatepopo Road End to Soda Springs
As tradition dictates, we had very little sleep before hiking Tongariro Crossing. When the alarm went off at 4 am we were cold, tired, and questioning the life choices that led us there. Regardless, we packed our suitcases and loaded them in the car. We put on several layers of clothes, performed one last check of the contents of our backpacks and headed to the shuttle meeting point.
The ride to the trail head is not long but it allowed for a quick nap. When the driver dropped us off, he explained what the trail is like and what the weather will likely be throughout the day, and at 5:15 we began our hike. People warned us that the weather could get bad later in the day, so we wanted to get over the highest part as quickly as possible. Even with our best efforts to keep up with the rest of the group, we were falling behind as we were still unable to wake up. It seemed that we were the first group of hikers for the day because we weren’t seeing any lights in the distance ahead. It was pitch-black and other than the board walk showing us the way, we couldn’t see anything else.
Getting to Soda Springs where the trail continues to the right took us an hour. So far it was a slight, easy to walk ascent.
Soda Springs to South Crater
The next part of the trail was more difficult. It is known as “the Devil’s staircase” and it’s a steep climb towards South Crater. Far behind us we could see the next couple of groups of hikers making their way through the valley. They looked like little strings of light bulbs.
About halfway up there was enough light for us to turn our torches off that were annoyingly attracting insects to our faces. Mt Ngauruhoe was already to our right but covered in a thick layer of clouds. This part of the trail also took us an hour. When we got to South Crater, we were glad to see flat surface again, even though we knew it wouldn’t last.
South Crater to Red Crater
We spent some time taking pictures of the area. Even though it was very cloudy, as the sun was rising. Beams of light shined on the visible part of Mt Doom uncovering its red and black surface.
Then the hardest climb began. The path to Red Crater is short but very steep and exposed. It was very windy and cold, and we had to make a stop to change into dry clothes and put one more jacket on. We were frequently making stops to look back in hopes the clouds would have moved away from the peak of Mt Doom. Our stubbornness was eventually rewarded.
About 45 minutes of climbing, including all the picture breaks, and we were at the Red Crater. There is was – the highlight of the Tongariro Crossing hike. This was the highest point of the track. And the windiest. We spent a few minutes photographing the amazing view we had in front of us and headed down to a more sheltered area.
Red Crater to Blue lake
On the other side of Red crater there’s another gorgeous landscape. The steaming Emerald lakes right ahead of us, and the Blue Lake in the distance. The track there was very steep, and we were warned to descend carefully. We did not listen and got down to the Emerald lakes as fast as we could almost sliding down the loose rocks. Ignoring the smell of sulphur, we found ourselves a rock big enough to use as a bench and started digging into our food supplies.
After a proper 30-minute rest and having satisfied our hunger, we got back to the hike – we still had a very long way to go. It takes about half an hour to get past the central crater to Blue lake. Blue lake is Tapu, meaning sacred, and it is disrespectful to touch, enter, drink, or eat around it.
Behind us Mt Doom was once again covered in clouds and steam. We took one last look at this volcanic masterpiece and headed down towards the end of the trail.
Blue Lake to Ketetahi car park
It is pretty much all downhill from Blue Lake. A very long way though. We were lucky enough to have good weather this day, and on the way to the Ketetahi shelter we dropped most of our warm layers. The lack of clouds allowed us to have a magnificent view over Mount Pihanga and Lake Rotoaira while we zig zagged down the mountain.
The last part of the track took us through a forest along a stream which goes through private land.
Getting to the car park from Blue Lake took us 3 hours.
The end of the trail
Finally getting to rest a bit in the shadows near the car park, our feet were suffering, and our legs were sore. We looked around the other people waiting for transport to see if we could recognize anyone from the morning shuttle. There were people of all ages seemingly feeling better than we were. There was even the elderly couple that overtook us back at Red Crater and they were showing no signs of exhaustion or pain. Note to self – a lot of walking makes you better prepared for a hike than lifting weights at the gym.
Despite the sore feet and painful knees, it was a wonderful hike and probably one of the best we have been on.
Overall, hiking Tongariro Crossing took us 7 hours including all the stops we made. By the time we got back to the lodge to pick up our car, it was only noon, and we had plenty of time to get to the next destination from our New Zealand road trip.
Know before you go
- It is a moderate to difficult hike generally due to the rough terrain and the hiking distance
- There are toilets all along the trail, but you should bring your own toilet paper
- The trail is very exposed, and during the summer it is also very busy, so it is best to start hiking early
- Arrange pick up and drop off
- Don’t drink water from the lakes
- Pack wisely – the weather can change rapidly, and the temperatures can easily fall below zero
- If you decide to stay at the Discovery Lodge, buy food in advance – there is not much in the area. Also, if you are staying in a basic cabin, don’t drink beer before you go to bed – the restrooms are far.
- If you enjoyed this post, read about another great hike in New Zealand – Roys Peak
This was a great read, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Danielle! I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This really does look like something from Lord of the Rings! I would love to go on a hike here and take some photos like yours.
Hi Krista, I hope you can go soon! It was an amazing experience 🙂
This hike has so many amazing views! The landscapes look incredible!
Hi Olivia, it really is an amazing hike and the landscape changes all along 🙂
Aww you’ve made me homesick! I love those mountains, and spent many holidays near there as a child. Although I have never hiked the Tongariro Crossing! You got some cracking photos of the lakes and Mt Ngauruhoe – amazing!
Thanks, Hannah! It was a beautiful hike, the photos don’t do it justice at all 🙂
Wow the landscapes here are amazing. Reminds me of hiking in Westmann Islands in Iceland. Your photos are amazing
Thanks, Gloria 🙂