The Tongariri Alpine Crossing is the most iconic walk in NZ, it is about 20km’s long, starts at 1100m and the highest point is 1886m. It goes through an amazing volcanic area with two active volcanos, Mt Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe (a.k.a. Mt Doom, from lord of the rings) at just under 2300m. The lady on the bus said you don’t have enough time to climb it and it’s very dangerous, so obliviously I’m going to climb it with a mate on the bus, Nick, from Holland! The only two brave enough to attempt it, we were out in front of everyone within minutes and gaining a nice lead. We had 7 house total and just the normal walk said it took 6-8 hours and the Mt Doom summit was 3 hours return and an additional 3km’s or so! It was the hardest climb and one of the most dangerous things I’ve ever done! But so worth it! It was the best view I’ve ever seen in my life and so exhilarating once we reached the summit. The wind was so strong and cold it would knock you to your feet and you had to be very careful. We spent only about 10 minutes up there taking photos and we were on our way down the steep slope. There was a great area with some snow where we were able to slide down on our bums! We totally conquered MT. DOOM in just 2hours, and lived to tell the tale! So after we made it down we had a bite to eat and then it was right back up Mt Tongariro to continue the trek and it was tough that second climb but we powered through and made it to the top without stopping once! And all this before we had even reached the halfway mark, no worries though, we figured we had plenty of time and we did. We caught up with the group and even passed a few, even with a few breaks in there! Thank goodness the place we stayed for the night had a much needed hot tub and good food. What an EPIC DAY!!!
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