New Zealand is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and Mounts Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe are a trio of active volcanoes in the Central Plateau are of the North Island. These three mountains are part of the Tongariro National Park, which has dual World Heritage status. It is one of only a handful of sites in the world which have this status, in recognition of both its natural and cultural values. The park itself covers some 79,598 hectares.

We had decided to take on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which is often heralded as New Zealand´s most popular one day trek stretching over 19.4km. This trek does include a steep climb up to the South Crater between Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe which at Red Crater, the tracks highest point, reaches 1886m and is still an active and steaming volcanic vent.

So with rucksacks packed, containing food, waterproof gear, suncream and plenty of water, we set off in the mini bus to the tracks starting point, Mangatepopo Valley Road. On the journey, it was nice to see that the grey skies of yesterday had cleared and you were now able to see the summits of the upcoming mountains, all with snow covered peaks from yesterday´s and overnight snowfall. We had been warned in advance that the Alpine environment can change dramatically and with alarming speed so we must be prepared.

As we got off the bus, the track started at a gentle pace through scrubland and heather scattered with volcanic rock. There were numerous other people doing this walk too, from multiple places around the globe with varying ages. At this point, Mount Ngauruhoe loomed ahead (2291m). This volcano was digitally transformed into the mighty Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films, home of the Dark Lord Sauron, with the surrounding volcanic land being used to create Mordor´s desolate landscape.

As we reached the foot of the volcano, we stopped for a quick snack, before beginning the steep climb up it. Some of the path consists of steps whilst the rest is made up of gravel. We passed, to our right, South Crater at 1660m before the onward climb which was hard work, not helped by the fact that the sun had decided to come out and we were dressed in multiple layers of clothing!  The trail zig zagged across the volcano before reaching a summit, and at this point the wind had picked up, and was bitterly cold, and we were beginning to walk into cloud. The forecast had said that the wind chill factor could be up to minus 7 degrees C! As we finally reached the summit of Red Crater (1886m and half way point), it was a shame to see that the cloud had now covered one of the views that we had come to see, Emerald Lakes which are a collection of three small lakes and, as the name suggest, are a bright emerald colour. These lakes are also thermal, so have that distinctive sulphur smell as their steam rises, tingeing the surrounding rock a mustard yellow colour. But, we still had another 11km to walk so we carried on, catching a slight glimpse of them through the increasing low cloud as we walked onwards across Central Crater. This area was pretty flat with a large amount of volcanic stones surrounding the trail, all that we could see were other walkers, silhouetted as dark figures, disappearing ahead of us into the cloud. Although this area is volcanic, very much like home in its appearance, some of the stones are pink in colour with deep red, velvet like moss growing on them.

When we reached the next summit and began our decent through ankle deep volcanic stones, the clouds began to clear and we were suddenly able to see Blue Lake over to our right. The wider view was breathtaking, as behind this lake over its far hillsides, we could see the great expanse of Lake Taupo shimmering in the sudden sunlight. Amazing scenery as far as the eye could see! The track then took us downwards where ahead you could see steam rising up from within the native bushland ahead. The area is called Ketetahi Hot Springs, and are located on private land. Permission has been granted to walkers to cross 400m of this ground, but you have to stay on the designated track. Steam rose from large open vents within the volcanic ground, turning neighboring stones into shades of pinks, yellows and oranges due to the sulphur. By this time, the wind had picked up again and it was getting quite cold.

Our gradual decent took us through mountain beech forest with a natural spring flowing alongside the track, a tranquil end to a sometimes tough, and at times very cold, trek. We managed the crossing in 7 hours, although we did stop to eat something and take photos along the way

It is definitely a recommended hike if you get the time to do it, the diverse range of scenery along the track is spectacular and you get to meet some really nice people along the way, huffing and puffing at times, but all heading towards the same goal as your own