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Mount Ngauruhoe

Checking out Marmot’s Mica Rain Jacket

Dec 22nd, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

Earlier this year, I was staying at New Zealand’s Skotel. The next day, Sarah and I would take a crack at the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, with a side trip up Mt. Ngauruhoe. Let me tell you, we were on edge with excitement. But we still had a day to kill, so we took a fairly short hike on some of the trails leading out of Whakapapa Village. The day started off quite nice. But wouldn’t you know? Weather near Tongariro National Park can be unpredictable. We got soaked, and spent way too much time with hair dryers trying to get our gear warm and dry again.
Never again, I decided. I pointed myself toward REI when we returned. They have a pretty large selection, and the staff is usually pretty helpful. But really, I’m from Arizona. My area gets about 7 inches of rain a year. I barely even knew what to ask to figure out which rain jacket I needed. I could’ve spent anywhere from $60 to $150 on a rain jacket … I always like to be armed with some information before spending funds of any sort!
I really could have used some help like the video below. This post comes to you courtesy of WebTogs, an online outdoor clothing company.

I rather like the idea of a YouTube demo like this. It’s a tidy explanation of the Marmot Mica jacket’s features. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, but it also explains some of the various tabs, buttons and straps that [...]

National Geographic Bungles Story on New Zealand’s Tongariro

Jul 4th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
1 comment

I’ve read National Geographic since I was about 10 years old. I always got excited when I saw some cool place I would want to go (these places often involved pyramids!).
This means I was extra-excited to see someplace I’d already been in the July 2009 issue. I headed straight to page 82 for “Between Fire & Ice” by Mel White. It was all about Tongariro National Park in New Zealand, one of my favorite places on the planet. I’d just been there in February 2009. And boy, was I disappointed in the story.
My only guess is that Mel White has never been there, and only interviewed a few hand-picked people. I’d also guess that the story had an agenda: To decry the effect of invasive species and the non-Maori people. I’ll address these two points separately.
First, the article conveys absolutely no sense of the park’s majesty. It’s a pretty flaccid description – no mention of steam oozing from the cracked floor of desert between Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro. No description of the Devil’s Staircase or the exhausting scree slope. What about the blasted, colorful mini-Mount St. Helens of Red Crater? And the striking lack of life? Near the volcanoes, you will see no form of life -flora or fauna- until you see a handful of birds at Blue Lake. That’s hours of hiking with no life but other hikers! It’s seriously lunar in its lava and gas-blasted devastation.
There’s also a pretty poor commitment to accuracy, as shown by this photo [...]

A Practical Guide to Hiking Mt. Doom & Tongariro Crossing

Mar 7th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
4 comments

 

From nz1

Mount Ngauruhoe is a rocky and barren place upon which your feet will find little purchase. The land surrounding it is a blasted hellscape devoid of much flora or any fauna. All that’s alive here is the earth, as proven by the number of vents gushing steam and shooting crystalline sulfur pellets from its fiery depths.
But walk a few miles, and the stench of sulfur will abate. A verdant rain forest will reappear.
As nice at is to see signs of life again, it’s the lava-scoured lunar surface that truly makes the Tongariro Alpine Crossing by far the most incredible single-day hike I’ve ever done. According to most guide books, just hiking the crossing should take 6-8 hours, not including a side-trip up Ngauruhoe, which starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Mt. Doom, the hangout of bad guy Sauron. One look at it, and you’ll understand why it filled the role so well. It adds about three hours to a typical hike along the crossing.

I’m ready for a nice little walk.                                                                      From nz3

A QUICK TIME LINE – Just remember, Tongariro’s weather is highly variable. This was on a sunny and perfect day without much wind.
Hour 1: The hike starts off going between lava flows for Mangatepopo Car Park. You’ll pass dripping springs and a turn-off to one of the huts.
Hour 2: You’ll start up The Devil’s Staircase, which is where things start heating up. The reward once you get to the top is choosing whether to climb [...]

Update from Wellington Airport

Feb 28th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
4 comments

Well … it’s been some time the past few days. Waitomo has some awesome caving, and the glow worms inhabiting them are a pretty incredible sight. Waitomo itself … as my new friend Billy Black says, “it’s a two-horse town, and one horse has died.”
That adds up to a lot of quiet, fresh air and clothes that reek of musty caves. The drive to Wellington took us past our old friend, Tongariro National Park. It was good to get a final glimpse of Mt. Ngaurahoe again. Lots of cool little towns between there and Wellington. I have a boatload of photos to share, so stick with me.

New Zealand plans taking shape

Jan 6th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
1 comment

Well, the plans for the New Zealand adventure are coming together nicely. I’ve booked a bunch of accommodations on the North Island; Sarah will handle most of the South Island plans.
We’re mostly booking smaller, locally owned hotels. They operate a bit differently than an international chain, where you visit the Web site, enter your dates, pick your room and you’re done. With the smaller places in New Zealand (and in Australia, Costa Rica and Belize, too), you often have to send an inquiry to the hotel with your dates. The staff then gets back to you to confirm, and that’s when you get down to the credit card number business. It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth it. So far, the New Zealand hotels have been super-fast and friendly.
One of the more interesting places we’re staying will be Woodlyn Park. We’ve reserved a room in the tail section of the airplane, which should be all sorts of cool. The New Zealand Department of Conservation was also exceptionally friendly and helpful in giving me the lowdown on how to get hut passes in the Tongariro area.
For me, hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing will be one of the key points of this trip. Obviously, the New Zealand government is really clued in about how to make a hike even better … throughout its parks, you’ll find huts that can range from barely a lean-to to fully heated and enclosed affairs. And they’re pretty inexpensive for a night. That frees up [...]

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