Rather than staying any longer in Wellington we decided to go straight to Whakapapa Village which is where we would stay whilst we tackled the 19.4km Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The walk included a long ascent up to the craters of two active volcanoes. It was hard work but the views were incredible. You could see for miles and the rocky surroundings could be likened to Mars! You could tell the volcanoes were active as there was steam rising from the red crater and other areas. The volcano last erupted in 2012 and you could see the effect it had on the area as they continually advised you that you were in a high risk area.

We managed to complete the walk in around 7 1/2 hours and after arriving back at our camp site safe and sound we had a well deserved beer. Definitely going to ache tomorrow!