mountain

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Mt Tongariro summit and back – 19.5km

Glasses would have helped to combat weary eyes, protecting them from the cold.
The cone of Mt Ngauruhoe is hidden in the mist in the back.
The first few kilometres of the path is well built and maintained, to help combat erosion.
First bits of snow visible as we make our way up the mountain.
A bit of sludgy snow.
South Crater is still extensively covered in snow.
The start of the final 1.5km to the top of Mt Tongariro.
I guess this is what is called a “white-out” – when mist and snow become one and you can’t see the horizon or anything other than white.
The narrow slippery path on the side of the mountain got a bit scary at times.
Gerry at the summit.
And me. 🙂
Still up for a bit of fun.
Not sure why I decided to have a little sit at this point.
The beacons still visible, this one buried rather deep.
Mainly off the snow – heading down to South Crater.
The wind threatened to blow me off the mountain.
Minus seven degrees Celsius is rather cold.
Stopping for a bite to eat and a short rest before heading down the last bit.
Having some fun in the snow. Just don’t take your gloves off for more than a few seconds.
Uhum. Just goofing around with an ice pick that wasn’t really necessary.
Dark clouds looming in the distance.
South Crater.

 

It is very hard to imagine temperatures of minus seven degrees Celsius, in icy winds and sleet, when you are tucked up cosy and dry in front of a fire. We were contemplating the day ahead over a cold happy hour beer in the comforts of The Park lodge in National Park Village, before turning in for a good nights sleep.

In the morning we chatted about the weather to the gentleman who prepared our breakfast – a friendly old bloke who’s probably lived around the area forever. He gave the mountain one good look as thick clouds were rolling over the mountains tops, and announced with a chuckle: “maybe your hike will turn into an adventure!”. Bummer? Yay? Always trust the local knowledge. But not to be deterred, we quickly grabbed out stuff and headed towards the Mangatepopo Road End where we parked the car for the day, hoping we might beat the looming inclement weather. Continue reading →

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Tongariro Northern Circuit – 30 December 2010 to 2 January 2011

Having done many hikes in South Africa, I always tended to measure the difficulty rating (extremity) according to, first of all, the distance you walk per day and secondly the altitude, eg 3000+ metres above sea level (often with corresponding low temperatures). But with a pair of shorts and tekkies you can do almost any hike with the exception of the Drakensberg in winter and at night. The temperature drops below freezing so you have to be prepared. While there’s the odd rare bit of rain sometimes and some hail now and then, you hardly ever get to experience rain-storms, blizzards, wind, snow or any other alpine weather conditions in SA. Neither would you ever need crampons or ice picks. However, in New Zealand, alpine conditions seem to kick in at much lower altitudes, making elevation and weather more important difficulty-factors than distance.

Not sure what to expect of NZ hikes, we decided on the Tongariro Northern Circuit as our introduction. We were keen to get out of the city and into nature over the new year and the Tongariro National Park seems to be a biggie (at least as far as the North Island is concerned) – popping up in conversations and magazines quite often. Continue reading →