Climb Mt. Ngauruhoe - it'll be one of the coolest things you ever do.
This is the steep slope you'll face. It gets steeper and looser as you go.
In the middle of a never-ending, steep, dismal scree slope, I paused to catch my breath. Just a few hundred feet more, I thought. That wouldn’t get me to the top. That would just get me to a collection of rocks where I hoped I could actually get some footing. I was burning tons of energy as my heart hammered and my legs burned. All for seemingly nothing, as I seemed to lose half the distance I’d gained with each step. I kept my eyes locked on the ground in front of me, because a glance in any other direction would reveal how far away I was from solid ground, how far I’d already climbed, and how far I still had to go – all before descending and hiking another eight miles or so.
Some people might want this day to end, and to never have to think about it again. But me … I think about climbing New Zealand’s Mt. Ngauruhoe every single day. There are three photos of it in my cubicle at work. It’s my Twitter page background. I would climb it every week if I could.
Mt. Ngauruhoe, and the Tongariro National Park surrounding it, is nothing less than completely bewitching, and they are the combined winner of my 2009 Destination of the Year Award.
I’ve given you practical tips for climbing Mt. Ngauruhoe in this blog before. I’ve fustigated National Geographic for bungling a story about Tongariro. But this time, I’m just offering a homage to a fantastic place that continues to amaze me. It exceeded every lofty expectation I had of it. It physically wrung me out. Standing on the overhanging crater at its summit filled me with awe, and more than just a bit of fear – it felt like a strong enough wind could send me spiraling into the crater floor hundreds of rocky feet below.
There's a good chance you'll be in the clouds.
Ngauruhoe is considered in active volcano, and its slopes are riddled with bombs and carpeted in cinders. Toward the false summit, there’s even a small vent hole that constantly emits a stream of visible gas. The area around it is also strewn with tiny sulfur crystals. Its last eruption was in 1977.
The climb to the summit was the centerpiece of our day on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. But the entire hike has a lot to offer. Starting at the Mangetepopo Car Park, you’ll soon start walking up ancient lava flows before climbing a short, steep, 1,200-foot ascent called Devil’s Staircase. At the top, you’re at the South Crater. It’s your option to tack on extra hardship to summit Ngauruhoe or just finish the crossing. If you’re fit for it, do the summit. It’s amazing. It’s about 2,000 feet to the top from South Crater.
Even without climbing Ngauruhoe, you have another 1,200-foot or so climb to get to the top of Red Crater before descending toward the Emerald Pools and Blue Lake before the gradual downward slope to Ketetahi Car Park.
That’s the quick description. But let me tell you what really makes this special, despite being a pretty busy hike.
First, it’s incredibly barren and lunar. You’ll walk for hours without seeing a tree of a living creature besides people. Volcanic activity has absolutely scorched the area: In South Crater, steam rises from tiny fumaroles in the cracked ground. Larger fumaroles await throughout the rest of the hike, making it feel like the world is still creating itself.
Looking into the crater - for scale, note the people in the left side of the frame.
It’s just incredible to be someplace so raw that still evolving around us. Think of walking just about anywhere else. Everything feels so finished and tame. Here in Phoenix, it’s all concrete, asphalt, manicured golf courses. There’s just a never-ending blandness about it – we’ve clearly shaped this land to our will. In Tongariro -and even in many other parts of New Zealand- that’s just not possible. Forces that make us small are still at work.
So go there. I promise a day on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing will do things for you that no trip to New York, Tokyo or Paris can ever do.
Heading back down ... a look at the saddle right before the final drive to the top.
The Emerald Pools provide a splash of color after a volcanic landscape.
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bohzo (hello)
I must say I never thought of visiting a Volcano but your writing makes me think that it would be fun.
So far my all time favourite because of its uniqueness. By the way, thanks about the picture caption on my blog
Tanmoy, it’s really funny that we were writing about the same place at about the same time! You’re welcome on that comment – I do stuff like that all the time on my blog. My wife is nice enough to catch most if it before other people notice.
Your post about Tongariro was so right about it being hard to convey how awesome it is. People just need to see it for themselves to really understand. By the way, your new header image is WAY COOL!
PI, it is totally fun. Hawaii is chock-full of active volcanoes, as is Central America. Of course, you could just follow in my footsteps to Tongariro in New Zealand. I think it’s one of the greatest destinations on the planet, no contest. Prices are also really reasonable there. If you look through my site a bit more, you’ll also find a post about Franz Josef Glacier. Another incredible and unforgettable reason to visit New Zealand.
Oh, and thanks for the bohzo vocabulary word. I think it would be great to have a word or phrase of the week on your blog. I’d read it every time!
As far as the picture – now it is time for the big cruise ships to visit Auckland. I guess I feel a bit privileged to be able to see so many things in NZ and capture them with a camera..