Eight Days in the Taupo Volcanic Zone – Day 8: Tongariro Crossing

Today we would achieve the main objective of our trip to New Zealand: to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Renowned as one of the great day walks in New Zealand, this 19.4 km track traverses steep volcanic terrain and climbs upwards through 800 metres vertically then down through 1050 metres of what promised to be quite the spectacular scenery, we booked on the first bus to leave Discovery Village and, accordingly, we arrived at the start of the walk at the Mangatepopo car park by 6.30 a.m.

Once again I decided today would be a one camera/one lens day to reduce the amount of weight I had to carry. Accordingly, all photographs on this page were taken with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II plus EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. (I have only provided shot data for each image as a result.)

The start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track at the Mangatepopo car park. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/4 second at f/8.)

It’s not often names from a popular film series find their way onto official maps; but that’s what has happened in New Zealand, following the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films. We were surprised to see the words “Mount Doom’ beside Mt Ngauruhoe and “Plains of Gorgoroth” on the plateau below Mt Tongariro on our New Zealand Road Atlas – but, it seems that what happens when a movie spawns an entire industry encompassing mementos and tours to locations used as backgrounds.

The sun had still to rise above the mountains as we set off and there was a light frost on the ground. Ahead of us the conical peak of Mt Ngauruhoe loomed over the path to the left, while the South crater ridge formed a barrier straight ahead.

The first section of the track is gently sloping and an easy stroll. (24mm focal length, ISO 400, 1/20 second at f/11.)

The first hour or so is an easy walk along a well-formed track, with duckboards in damper places. The track proceeds along the valley formed by the Mangatepopo Stream and follows the edges of an old lava flow. At Soda Springs, where a cold alkaline spring emerges from beneath the lava, the track begins to climb towards the South Crater saddle.

Looking back towards the north-west. (105mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/30 second at f/8.)

The stream at Soda Springs. (60mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/15 second at f/9.5.)

Rising 200 metres vertically, this section of the track is known as the Devil’s Staircase. It’s fairly demanding but affords good views out to the west and south-west. We were able to see Mount Taranaki, a conical volcano similar to Mt Ngauruhoe, on the south-western horizon, where it marks the westernmost edge of New Zealand’s North Island.

A view to the west from roughly half-way up the Devil’s Staircase, showing Mount Taranaki on the horizon. (105mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/250 second at f/13.5.)

It took roughly an hour to reach the South Crater saddle, where – like most other walkers – we stopped for a brief rest and to survey the scenery. With an almost cloudless sky, the colours of Mt Ngauruhoe were beginning to appear as the mountain loomed over us. From this point it is possible to climb to the summit of Ngauruhoe but, since there’s no market track and the slopes are steep and covered in loose scree, we decided to give it a miss.

The northern slope of Mt Ngauruhoe, the main approach for climbers who want to ‘bag’ this peak. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/45 second at f/13.5.)

Walkers pause on the saddle at the South Crater. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/91 second at f/13.5.)
From the saddle, the track remained relatively flat for a while as it passed through an area of tussock grasses. But the respite was short-lived and soon we were climbing again, up’ Heartbreak Hill’ to the Red Crater – in the most spectacular part of the entire track.

The relatively level path through tussock grasses, leading to Heartbreak Hill and the Red Crater. (65mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/16)

At 1886 metres above sea level, the Red Crater marks the highest point in the crossing. On the climb upwards you are treated to spectacular views almost all the way around, while the views from the summit are breathtaking (assuming you had any breath to spare after the climb!)

A pause for picture-taking before embarking on the climb to the Red Crater. The most colourful side of Mt Ngauruhoe can be seen in the background. (45mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/16)

Some interesting rock formations resulting from volcanic activity. (28mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/45 second at f/13.5)

Looking towards the summit of the Red Crater from about half-way up Heartbreak Hill. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/22 second at f/13.5)

The views from the summit over the surrounding countryside were spectacular and the summit gave us a close look at the crater that gave the site its name. The Red Crater derives its colours from minerals brought to the surface during volcanic activity. The entire area is still active and the flanks of the mountains can be seen gently steaming as vapours are released.

Looking into the Red Crater from near the summit. (45mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/20 second at f/11)

From the summit of the Red Crater you look down onto the Emerald Lakes, which fill three old explosion craters. The high mineral content of the water is responsible for their brilliant colours. However, it also makes the water undrinkable.

The view northwards from the Red Crater summit, showing the three Emerald Lakes and the steaming vents to the right of them. (45mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/22 second at f/13.5)

Looking across the valley (“Plains of Gorgoroth”) towards the Blue Lake. (70mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/13.5)

From the top of the Red Crater the track passes down a steep scree slope that is quite difficult to negotiate. Because the scoria (volcanic debris) making up the slope is light and loosely packed, it moves easily under-foot and it’s easy to slide – or even fall. Not a desirable situation when you’re carrying a camera.

Descending from the Red Crater summit to the Emerald Lakes, the track consists mainly of loose scoria. (35mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/45 second at f/13.5)

A close-up view of the largest of the lakes, showing the brilliantly-coloured, crystal clear water. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/91 second at f/13.5)

Another view of the shores of the largest lake with the ramparts of the red Crater in the background. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/13.5)

From the base of the Red Crater slopes, the track runs across a relatively flat basin that marks the floor of the central crater. Looking back you obtain some spectacular views of the mountains you have just crossed. There’s a faint whiff of sulphur in the air as you leave the lakes, which soon disappears as you head for the next ascent. Fortunately, it’s relatively short and easy but it’s nevertheless worth pausing when you reach the saddle on which the Blue Lake is located for a wonderful view of the Red Crater and Mt Ngauruhoe.

The view from the Blue Lake saddle, showing the descent from the red crater summit, the Red Crater itself and Mt Ngauruhoe in the background. (67mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/91 second at f/13.5)

The blue Lake is nowhere near as spectacular as the Emerald Lakes. Cold and highly acidic, its waters are also undrinkable. This lake is tapu (sacred) to the local Maori and it is disrespectful to eat or drink around its shores.

A panorama showing the Blue Lake. It was stitched together from two separate images. (35mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/11)

From the Blue Lake it’s a short, easy climb to the edge of the North Crater, which accords some fine views over Mt Pihanga and Lake Rotoaira with Lake Taupo in the distance. It’s all downhill from this point – and a very long way down.

The view from the edge of the North Crater. This panorama was created from four shots. (47mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/160 second at f/13.5)

The track descends through rocky grasslands, zig-zagging downhill to the Ketetehai Hut. It takes approximately an hour to reach this resting point and the views don’t change much along the way. From Ketetehai Hut it’s at least another two hours of hard downward slogging to reach the Ketetehai car park, where a bus was to collect us. There wasn’t much to photograph on this part of the track so the camera stayed in my backpack.

The track down to the Ketetehai Hut. (24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/91 second at f/13.5)

We reached the Ketetehai car park just in time for the last shuttle bus service and were back at the campsite before sunset. And that’s when the good weather ended. Our final day was spent driving back to Auckland to return the camper van and catch our plane back home.

Would I do it again? Most certainly; but there are some things I would do differently and there are many more areas in the Taupo Volcanic Zone that I would like to visit. I’d love to go back to the Tongariro Crossing. However this time I would leave the vehicle at the Mangatepopo car park and turn back once I had reached the Blue Lake. That way I would visit all the best spots for photography and spare myself the long, boring slog to the Ketetehai car park.