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Hey all. Thanks for all the comments, I'll get round to replying soon, I promise. This blog simply covers my 4 days of the Tongariro hike, so I'll try not to waffle..too much.
Deciding to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit itself was the 1st difficult decision; most just do the famous 1-day 'Tongariro Crossing' and leave satisfied with it ticked off their list. But to do the Northern Circuit, and to do it justice, takes 3 to 4 days. I hadn't done a serious hike since my curtain-hairstyle school days of Iceland and DofE, and not sure if my body was up for it. But what the heck? There's no adventure in not trying (which, I know, at times can be a stupid philosophy).
The Plains of Gorgoroth...sort of.
Simon Wadsworth2006-09-04 18:34:17
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Hey all. Thanks for all the comments, I'll get round to replying soon, I promise. This blog simply covers my 4 days of the Tongariro hike, so I'll try not to waffle..too much.
Deciding to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit itself was the 1st difficult decision; most just do the famous 1-day 'Tongariro Crossing' and leave satisfied with it ticked off their list. But to do the Northern Circuit, and to do it justice, takes 3 to 4 days. I hadn't done a serious hike since my curtain-hairstyle school days of Iceland and DofE, and not sure if my body was up for it. But what the heck? There's no adventure in not trying (which, I know, at times can be a stupid philosophy).
The Tongariro Northern Circuit basically circles round Mount Ngarahoe (which I always call Mt Doom as I can never spell the damn name right), through endless varieties of photogenic landscapes, and is classified as one of NZ's 9 'Great Walks' - and to many, the most stunning, as the 4th oldest National Park in the world.
Day 1:
Checked out and prepared the flimsy tent. Although the circuit was quite busy, I was the only one camping. People seemed to either laugh at my stupidity, or admire my crazy mental state at even contemplating camping. On the night leading to day 1, I already found out why. Oh dear. It was a little chilly to say the least! A hot morning shower had never felt so good. Then I started the walk.
Quite simply, Day 1's walk was the best single-day walk I've ever done. The scenery was absolutely spectacular, from crystal blue crater lakes, to spring waterfalls, rainbow coloured mountains and views 100kms away of Lake Taupo, and other mountain ranges, all the while with Mt Doom towering above - a precariously steaming. I took more photos this day that a week in Belize - over 50!, and every one would make you go ''oooh''. It was a geographer's heaven.
Day 2:
This
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See photographs from:
New Zealand Gallery
