To this day, Tongariro Alpine Crossing is hands down the most remarkable hike I've done in my whole life. If you can only do one thing on North Island in New Zealand, I'd say this is definitely a must-do here. Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often referred to as one of the best day hikes in New Zealand, and I agree. It is 19.4km long and took us 8 hours to complete, one of the longest ones I've done. Even though I love doing sports, I'm not a hiker; my stamina and balance were so bad that this hike was a bit challenging for me at the time, but the forever-changing, stunning, and alien-like scenery was absolutely worth the gruesome climb.
The trail takes you through volcanic terrain, old lava fields, plateaus, along enormous calderas and craters, and even past a steaming volcano that erupted merely eight years ago. Hence, the volcanic activity within the national park is monitored continuously. Almost the entire length of the Crossing is volcanic terrain with no vegetation and fully exposed to the harsh weather changes. Thus, even though the trail isn't that tough technically, it isn't easy on the body at all, resulting in repeated news of people dying of hypothermia within this trail due to being ill-prepared and misjudging the weather conditions.
Don't get me wrong! It certainly sounds scary, but it is a very popular hike that you wouldn't need to be afraid of getting lost. I saw quite a lot of elderly doing this hike as well. You'll be alright if you're well-prepared and follow what others do.
[Plus, some of the scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were shot here in Tongariro National Park, making it even more popular.]
When to go
The Crossing technically can be done all year round.
November to April: The summer hiking season is when this trail is the most popular, during which around 1000 people are hiking here daily. It would be even more crowded during the weekends, holidays, or when the weather is fine.
July to September: Hiking the Tongariro Crossing could be even more spectacular during the winter when the track is covered with ice and snow. Additional gear like crampons and ice axes would be required, either from guiding companies that provide all the equipment plus an experienced guide or brought by yourself if you have alpine experience.
What to wear
This is a mountainous area, so weather can be a challenge to predict and plan for. Be prepared to change your plans and turn back, especially when visibility is poor or strong winds prevail.
I did this hike during the shoulder season in autumn. There wasn't snow on the track yet when we were there, but the soil was already extremely slippery. (There was snow when we climbed the Ben Lomond track a few days later.) It was a bit chilly at dawn when we started the hike and was very windy and foggy when we reached the summit. It was like experiencing all four seasons in a day. Yet, we were sweating during the strenuous part of the climb. You'll know what I mean when you see what I was wearing in the photos below.
Hence, wearing layers is a must for me. Here are some of the things I would suggest you wear: waterproof and wind-proof raincoat, trousers, robust and sturdy hiking boots, warm layers of fleece, a short-sleeved T-shirt, hat and gloves, sunscreen, and sunglasses.
What to bring
Obviously, there wouldn't be restaurants or stalls along the trail, and you'd be hiking all day long. Thus, you would need to bring your own food for lunch, such as sandwiches or energy bars like we did. There aren't really areas where you can settle down for a feast, so I'd recommend as simple as possible. Also, remember to bring all trash away with you and leave no trace.
Bringing plenty of fluids is likewise essential, especially if you plan to go during the warmer months. You wouldn't find any supplies up there. FYI, we each brought around 1.5-2 L of water for the day.
There are toilet facilities at the Mangatepopo road end and at Soda Springs right before the climb (which I would suggest you go even if you don't need to). Then at Ketetahi shelter 3-4 hours later and finally at Ketetahi parking areas. The whole trail is mostly open terrain that you wouldn't be able to go behind bushes. So please do use the portaloos and keep the park clean.
How to get there
Since this route is a one-way trip and the Mangatepopo end has a higher altitude than Ketetahi, most people would drive to and park at Ketetahi, the end of the route, and take a shuttle bus to Mangatepopo, the starting point of the hike.
I booked my shuttle with Tongariro Expeditions and chose their Ketetahi Park N Ride service, a one-way shuttle from the end to the start in the morning. With this, you can hike at your own pace without needing to worry about chasing the last bus. And by the time you've finished tramping and exhausted, you can hop straight back on your car and leave.
There are also options return shuttle from Taupo or Turangi if you don't feel like driving there early morning.
Definitely book ahead as Tongariro Alpine Crossing really does get busy most of the time. It is also better to start earlier to avoid the crowds. (Side note: we had problems with our flight and had to change the date of our booking. The staff was pretty chill about it and made the whole arrangement so smooth and enjoyable. They were also very experienced with the Crossing and could answer any concerns you have.)
There are articles out there saying this hike is easy. And I'm here to tell you it's strenuous and never-ending. (Maybe it's easy for New Zealanders, who, in time, I learned that they're used to doing crazy outdoor stuff from a pretty young age.) It's probably the longest hike I've ever done in my life, but hiking trails in New Zealand are usually clearly marked and make our lives slightly more comfortable.
THE TRAIL
Starting our hike
We started our hike around 09:00 in the morning at the Mangatepopo Road end, walking on the relatively flat and well-paved trail for approximately 1-1.5 hours. The first part of the trail is pretty chill; you'd be walking in the valley between Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe, aka Mt Doom, in the movies. Mt Ngauruhoe is also an active volcano that you might be able to catch smoke coming out of it.
Walking through the alpine vegetation, dark soil beneath us, and volcanic boulders scattered around, it felt like hiking on an alien planet. Soda Springs marks the beginning of the next section, and that's also where you'll find toilet facilities. A warning sign is erected there to remind hikers that things are going to get tough and to welcome you to the Devil's Staircase.
Devil's Staircase
Even though Devil's Staircase is where the real climb begins, it actually wasn't as gnarly as I thought it would be. I wasn't particularly good at stairs, and I still was able to finish this section within an hour, with multiple rest stops in between. Another random thing about hiking this trail that fascinated me: despite being an extremely popular trail, we could actually recognise the people who had a similar pace with us. Watching them climb around us, especially an old lady we met, made me feel proud of all of us conquering this legendary alpine Crossing haha.
The view slowly started to open up, and the view of the Red Crater gradually appeared in front of us. Looking back at the endless plateaus we had walked through, I felt like really achieving something by climbing those stairs. Along the caldera of South Crater was another flat section to catch our breaths, but it didn't last long.
The final push to the top was probably one of the more technically challenging parts of the trail, as we were trekking over layers of ancient and modern lava flows and other volcanic deposits, making the track surface is anything but smooth. Along the slippery exposed ridge where you could drop off back into the caldera if you were not careful was the scariest part for me and required me to be on all-fours to climb.
Being slow and careful were the main points of this section. At the top, both the view and the temperature started to get cooler as clouds began to creep in and the altitude we gained. I loved how this trail didn't have any handrails not many paved sections, making it felt more authentic and natural than hikes back home, where beginner-level hikes are often paved with cement. And yes, the Red Crater was really red in colour.
As we reached the highest point of the hike at the Red Crater, we were greeted with the panoramic view of the emerald lakes that you've seen on postcards and the entire Tongariro National Park. The lakes were really as stunning as they are in photos (see above). Being the iconic photo spot, there were quite a lot of people at the summit. But surprisingly, the whole route was extremely clean and well-maintained. I love how people really respected the mountains a lot. We didn't stay at the top for long as it was quite crowded and chilly there, and we didn't wanna end our hike too late.
Red Crater to Old Ketetahi Hut Site
Most would have thought that the climb was the most arduous part of the Crossing, but honestly, the descent was no joke. It was so slippery that it almost felt like skiing as the loose scoria underfoot can move quickly and easily. Honestly, I didn't understand how the elderly we saw finished that route (#respect); I myself had trouble balancing down those slippery slopes, even with hiking poles in my hands.
As we were getting closer to the emerald lakes, the smell of sulphur was getting stronger and stronger, preceding the upcoming active volcanic hazard zones. Up close, you could still see the vibrant colour of the lakes, which is caused by minerals leaching from the surrounding rocks. From the lowest lakes, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trail went back up once again until you reached the Blue Lake, which is sacred.
After walking through the thermal pools, the scenery once again changed drastically from a volcanic domain into a yellow grassland. It took around 1 hour to zigzag down to Ketetahi shelters. The descent was never-ending, but at first, it didn't feel like a lot with such a beautiful open view. On the side of the trail, white smoke steaming out of Te Maari Crater, together with multiple signs warning us not to leave the track, reminded us we were still in active volcano territory despite having vastly different vegetation.
The weather was fair, and the sky was clear once we walked past the foggy lakes. We could spot Lake Taupo, which was near where we were staying, across Lake Rotoaira. Looking down to the winding road leading down to Ketetahi Shelters, the view of the path we were going to take was one of the last gorgeous viewpoints of the trail.
Ketetahi shelter back to the car park was the final leg of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but it was also the least hopeful part of the hike. The surroundings of this part of the trail were nothing like the previous sections. It looked like we'd been transported into a rainforest, with tall trees lining both sides of the path, blocking the view and air becoming much more humid. At one point, we bumped into a middle-aged couple who seemed to know a lot about plants (which I don't). They looked amazed by the diversity of plants there and even recognised a type of spice among them. The couple offered us some leaves for tasting (they did as well), which we rejected as we are cowards XD.
It got a bit frustrating that we just wanted to get back to our car at Ketetahi car park as fast as possible. Around the same time, my muscles started to sore, particularly my calf and gluteus, which I had been having trouble with for quite a long time. It took around 2 hours to finish the final part of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and the eventual sight of our rental car at Ketetahi was such a great relief.
I was a slow hiker and got breathless all the time. The total amount of time we used to finish the Tongariro Alpine Crossing was around 8 hours. And the sun had started to set once we got back into our car, and we were bidden farewell by this vibrant sky as we drove back to Taupo.
Despite being exhausted for days afterwards, it was the most extraordinary hike I've ever done in my life. With the ever-changing scenery and features we walked through, hiking this trail felt like the most elaborate and exotic obstacle course ever. I had the most incredible time here.
If there's one hike you need to do in your life, it's definitely Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and you really need to go there yourself to see how magnificent it is. But be sure to plan it out and do research about it before going for your own safety. Cheers, and see you on our next hike!