Tongariro Alpine Crossing

The most beautiful day hike in New Zealand!

After waiting for rainy days in New Plymouth, that is 4 days of continuous rain, the weather conditions for the Alpine Crossing couldn't be better.
We booked a hostel for two days which included a shuttle to the starting and ending points of the hike.
Our alarm clock rang at 5:30. We didn't sleep particularly well but the cold in the morning made us wake up quickly. The shuttle departed at quarter to 7, so we could start at 7:30 sharp. We had originally planned not to climb Mount Ngauruhoe (also known as Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings) as it would mean a 3-hour detour. However, when we had conquered the first climb and looked at the 2292m high volcano in clear, perfect weather, we decided to at least give it a try. The path uphill was rocky and difficult. That's what you can really call it. Because it's not easy to make your way up the scree when you automatically step back two steps for every two steps up. Furthermore, climbing the volcano was accompanied by recurring warnings from hikers: "Rock! Rock!" when smaller stones rolled down the volcano. When we finally reached the top, the view into the crater and the surrounding national park ("Mordor" from Lord of the Rings) was beautiful. We had such clear visibility that we could even see Mount Taranaki in New Plymouth.

After a relatively fast descent, we continued for another 4 hours (about 16 km). When we started to climb uphill again for the first time, it was clear to us that the remaining hike would be quite a torture for our legs. We fought our way up the mountain until we finally reached the highest point and thus almost half of the Crossing. From there, we could admire the "highlight" of the hike: the Blue Lakes. However, the time pressure to arrive at our shuttle on time and the crowd of people there quickly drove us on. However, we found the almost deserted "last" small lake impressive, next to which sulfur steam rose from the ground in three places.
The last 3 hours were just a struggle. Our legs and feet hurt, the view was not as spectacular anymore, and the descent snaked endlessly down the mountain. However, the clear view on this side also allowed us to look all the way to Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand.
In the end, we were very happy and proud when we arrived at the hostel with our shuttle after a total of 9 ½ hours, 22 km, and about 1300m of elevation. That evening, nothing worked anymore and we didn't even manage to get into the spa pool, we were so exhausted. But we can say: It was worth it!