A day spent with volcanoes... a day spent walking amoungst breathless scenary and a day where i set myself an goal and i achieved it!

Awake at 5am, dark and cold, a hot breakfast and ready for the bus at 6 to head towards the begining of the famous tongaririo crossing that thousands of us vistors try to do! As the sun came up i was hoping for a nice day and once again i was lucku to have some blue sky, met with frosty vegetation a clear and crisp morning! The tongariro crossing a 19km walking through the volcanic area of the tongariro national park with from an active crater to steaming vents and beautifuly coloured lakes its worth every step. You can also include mount tongariro 1967m summit or mount ngauruhoe 2287m both active volcanoes. This is part of the northern circuit witch would be a 3 day walk, this just takes in the best views and has been created for those not on a longer scedual (next time i will definatly try the northern circuit when i have time to plan it). The walk is one way and so you have to nake to the buses by 4.30pm at the latest and so the summits are added extras if you have time.

I decided the un pathed mount ngauruhoe was my goal. arriving later than expected i really had to try and make up some time. The walk very very popular so alot of people at the start as you try to past through everyone. The firstsection a gentle gradient to soda springs following a small river through baren landsacpes and volcanic rock up the valley, the next stage is known as teh devils stair case a mix of steps and path up and up! The legs burning and relising how every time i put myself through these walks its not beucase i want to feel comfotable. The whole time mount nguahuoe dominates your view and the valley behind and below as you increase in height. Reaching the first crater desiion time i managed to make up time and was only 10mintues behind the scedual your advised with regards to sumiting... well i can atleast try! so i decides i would try and get myself up there seeing afew people ahead of me and afew behind me i felt ok with time and going up. The path well there isnt really one, your advised to go up an old lava flow rugged volcanic rocks and scree make it a very steep and hard climb. Parts like walking up sand dunes, there was know way i was walking back down, determination set in and its not every day the opportunity to walk and and explore a volcanoe comes around. The higher you get the increased areas of red coloration on the rocks and scree and areas where hot steams comes out the rocks. It was so different from landscapes ive explored before and as much as i hated how my legs felt i just couldbnt get enough of the view below of the crater we would later be walking through and looking up into cloud and steam. The final stretch took me onto the ridge and to where 2 people were sitting who had been ahead of me then i looked over... that view through the clouds and steams...thinking i was in ver warnm clouds i relised how warm/hot all the rocks were. Areas with snow and frost crystals also. The natural smile was on my face and i had no pain from my legs.

There was people across from us on another peek so i couldnt resised only a further 10mintuets across and yet again the added view with turquise lakes below.! i was so glad i chanced my luck and came up! Now time was a reall worry so as much as i wanted to spend hours up there and walk around to the second crater i had already chanced my luck and so it wa stime to head down, getting down was just as treturas... you have to be very aware of dislodging rocks and people below you. areas where you just have to trust your feet and go with the motion. It gets you down alot quicker and be prepared to sit down alot with out planning to sit down!

So it was onto the 14kms left through the flat crater up the last ascent to the red crater and i know why it wa snamed teh red crater, incredable views down into the steaming areas and red scree slopes. Then down the narrow ridge line through sulphur ridge steaam..the smell beyond pleasant but the view and scenary incredable. saddly clock watching alot ment racing through this area although time for afew pictures. From teh red crater to emerald lakes amazing, and onto decending down into the valley, previous the feeling of being on mars (i dont knwo what that feel like but what i amagen it to be ) to now coming into alpine plant species and the more we decending the species numbers and coverage increased enventually getting head heght trees and plants and into new zeland bush once again. Making it back with 15 minutes to spare, that last 1km the hardest as yoru brain knows your at the end but your just not quite there yet. I wont lie i was utterly exuasted but the smile on my face and the experienced gained says it all!! I have been son lucky today with the weather and could see how nasty it can get up there so it may well have been very different up there.

Ive found anew area of geography that has blown me away once again :)!