The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most spectacular and longest hiking trails in New Zealand. And it was by far the most spectacular, exhausting, incredible, longest, and nerve-wracking hike of my life. We started at 6 am because it takes about an hour from Taupo to the Tongariro National Park. We had two specific times when the shuttle was supposed to pick us up. That was once at 2:30 pm and exactly 4 pm. If we were not back by then, a search party would be sent out. This may sound strange and absurd, but the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 19.4 km hiking trail where you usually cover 786 meters of altitude in a span of 6-9 hours. Our hike started at 7:20 am, we had great weather and a great view of the snow-covered Mount Ngauruhoe.
We were very motivated and in a good mood as we walked the first kilometers and then came the stairs. Steep uphill, step by step, the sun in our face, and it lasted more than just one kilometer. These stairs are called Devil's Staircase and it definitely felt like that! When you reach the top, your mood is at its lowest, but the view is incredible.
After that, we had a few more kilometers to reach the summit of the still active Red Craters, at an altitude of 1886 m. A few more kilometers that were so, so painful that we had to take a break every few meters. Our lungs were burning like fire and our legs felt heavy as lead. But when we finally, finally arrived, we felt so strong, that we had made it, that we had the courage and the strength. And the view from up there is absolutely unique. Peaceful describes it best. Peaceful. Isolated from any happenings down on Earth. The sky looked like the sea, incredibly distant and yet so close.
The descent from this point was initially not easy and rather comparable to a, as my dad would say, very very dark purple ski slope. Yes, and that's exactly how you have to "ski down" this slope, sideways and step by step, like in a snowplow (otherwise, you'll crash and that happened to many).
We walked past steaming craters, emerald green lakes, and huge mountains until we finally started the descent. Again, step by step and no end in sight. The worst part was probably the last 400 meters, until we reached the goal cursing and swearing, but at the same time so happy and proud. On these 19.4 km, for 6.5 hours, we were a part of that world up there. You only experience this once in a lifetime.
