Taupo & Tongariro Crossing 🗻

I can now tick off a big item on my New Zealand bucket list, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing! First of all, I arrived in Taupo and was surprised by the city from the start. It's a small but cute lakeside town. Has many small, nice shops and cafes. After exploring the city a bit, I made my way to the famous Huka Falls. After about an hour of walking along the river I arrived. The first time in New Zealand that there were too many tourists for me! But it still paid off, I was rewarded with turquoise blue water and an impressive waterfall. Back at the hostel, I soon went to bed because my alarm went off at 4:20 the next morning! At 5:10 we finally set off for the Tongariro Crossing. After a 2 hour bus ride I finally set off. At first you hike through a fairly barren landscape for a while, but as soon as you reach the first top you are rewarded by breathtaking views and volcanoes. A little further up and you can see the famous lakes. Simply incredible! The weather then got better and the sun even came out. We continued through the volcanic landscape to a large lake and then through a very green landscape to the end point. After 4 hours the crossing was achieved. Overjoyed and tired, I enjoyed the evening on the shore of the lake. The next morning we continue to the capital of New Zealand 🫶🏼