Tongariro Alpine Crossing

On day two in Taupo, we took the shuttle bus at 5:20am (!) for an hour and a half to the Tongariro National Park, which is 19.4km long (one way) and is hiked by about 700 tourists daily. We all planned to hike this trail on this day and started walking around 7:30am in the morning. By the way, this hike is one of the nine 'Great Walks' in New Zealand!

Initially, we walked through a kind of 'moon crater landscape' and it really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, until it gradually got colder and steeper, and we reached the highest point at 1886m. This spot was definitely the most challenging and coldest for all of us, as we had to almost climb up and there was a super cold wind (as cold as 5°C)! After the mountain, we descended to the Emerald Lakes, three crater lakes that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and have a beautiful emerald green color due to minerals. You reach the lakes approximately halfway through the hike, after 3 hours.

After this highlight of the hike, the trail takes you to the Blue Lake, which is a less spectacular but still beautiful and big lake where we took a break and had some food :) The weather got better again and we were able to enjoy a bit of sun in the still cold wind, before continuing further! From here on, the last two hours were characterized by an easier and less steep path, and it gradually got warmer with every minute! The temperature differences kept us busy constantly taking off and putting on our jackets, scarves, second pants, etc. :)