Tongariro – an extinct (and today invisible) volcano!

We continue to the Tongariro National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way there, we drive along the Desert Road. The name promises more than it delivers. Okay, it is a bit barren here, but is that reason enough for the name Desert Road? … well…

However, the goal is much more to see the three volcanoes in the national park. They are Tongariro at just under 2000 meters, Ngauruhoe at 2300, and Ruapehu at just under 2800 meters. All three volcanoes are still active.

Unfortunately, the weather today is not on our side. We have been driving for some time under a gray cloud cover, and the volcanoes are sometimes completely obscured. The weather report had already promised us something like this… Nevertheless, the journey must continue. We are lucky; at times the cloud cover breaks, and we catch a glimpse of the snow-capped peak of Ruapehu and take some precautionary photographs of what we can see. We draw a bit of hope that we might also see the other two volcanic cones.

As we continue our drive, it becomes clear to us that this is probably not going to happen. And the closer we get to our accommodation in the middle of the national park, the worse and more impenetrable the weather becomes. We specifically booked a room with a terrace and a view of the volcano. Unfortunately, we see nothing at all, since the rain and wind have intensified, providing only a view into the rainy gray, and we will likely have to sleep without a view of the volcano.

But not before we have eaten our jam sandwich.