IN THE LAND OF FIRE & ICE
TONGARIRO NP is a dynamic place. Volcanoes here have erupted, collapsed and erupted again over millennia, forming dramatic cones, crater lakes and alpine desert. Its centerpiece is Mt Ruapehu, the highest point of the North Island at 2797m and an active volcano with more than 60 eruptions of varying sizes recorded since 1945.
When a Kiwi mate recommended I walk around its sprawling bulk I was intrigued at the prospect though slightly dubious as to how much variation in terrain there could be on a 66km route around a volcano. Would it be five days of monochromatic and barren ash and scoria, or could there be more to it?
“IT’S AN IMPRESSIVE START BUT IT’S THE SENSE OF SOLITUDE THAT IS MOST STRIKING.”
I’ve hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing before, at the northern end of the park, a spectacular 19km day hike that attracts around 140,000 visitors annually.
