The first trip was actually a steeper climb, but about a third of it was in the bush before it opened up into rocky outcroppings with tussock grass. We were able to climb up to the snow line and see a frozen Blue Lake. This time, the climb was longer with some stretches ascending gradually and others with a dramatically steep pitch. The trail this time was completely exposed and very warm.
We climbed up to Red Crater and admired the view into the crater with Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom) in the background. Much further in the distance in the same direction, we could see Mt. Taranaki, the volcanic peak on the west side of New Zealand that resembles Mt. Fuji. Looking out the other direction, you could see Blue Lake with Lake Taupo behind it. Down below were the three Emerald Lakes framed with steaming fumeroles. It was breathtaking.
We decided to brave the descent down to the Emerald Lakes to get a closer view. It was a very steep hill loaded with dusty, pebbly volcanic rocks. Our feet were buried to our ankles and our shoes quickly filled with stones. We slipped and slid to the bottom, emptied our shoes, admired the view and then groaned about the impending climb up. It was challenging. It felt like we were in a dusty, dirty, hot and never-ending stairmaster. We all made it, but we all suffered from sore toes when it was done and we still had to return to the carpark which was about 8 kms away!
It is a gorgeous hike and we were lucky to do it on a beautiful, clear day. We heard later that it was the busiest day this year on the Tongariro Crossing with over 1,000 hikers doing the walk!
The next day, we decided to have a less ambitious day. We drove over to Lake Rotopounamu and did a two-hour walk around a green mountain lake bordered by large rimu trees. There were a few beaches along the way and we spent the afternoon lazing around on one of them.
