After skydiving the next day’s activity was a little less extreme. A hike on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing was less exciting but a lot more demanding. I had known about this hike for sometime as my Canadian friends from China had made me promise to walk it. Known as one of the best one-day hikes on the planet, the crossing transverses the best of the Tongariro National Park including volcanic landscapes, steaming vents and crystal lakes. It is also where Peter Jackson filmed Mordor for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and is home to Mount Doom.

The day started at stupid o’clock (5:40am) when a shuttle bus picked myself and 15 others off the Kiwi Experience to transport is to the start of the track. We set out just before 8 from Mangatepopo Hut and quickly passed Mt Pukekaikiore, the first of the three mountains on the track. Instantly you understand why the location was chosen for Mordor; it is an utterly desolate and intimidating terrain. Black rocks jump out from everywhere and where they don’t, the dark earth stretches uninhabitable to a mountains edge. After walking for a couple of hours we passed Soda Springs and the base of Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom). Unfortunately the cloudy weather had not cleared so the summit of the mountain was hidden, refusing me the view of Mt Doom I had been looking forward to. These clouds actually persisted all day which was a shame as some of the views would have been excellent on a clear day. From the base of Mt Doom we hiked up the Devil’s Staircase which was the toughest part of the track but nothing compared to the 28 Bends of the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Once at the top a few of us took a detour to the summit of Mt Tongariro, I had a wee at the top (I’m sorry but I was bursting), now how many people can say that. After this we passed the South and Red Crater before reaching the Emerald Lakes and stopping for lunch. Just at this moment the clouds parted and the sun shone for the only time during the day, it was perfect. Also by this time my feet were on fire. The hiking boots I had brought away with me that I thought just needed breaking in were clearly too small for me and gave me blisters at every point of contact, every step was agony. Thankfully the track became easier here and was all downhill. In another couple of hours we had passed the Ketetahi Hot Springs and the terrain had transformed from barren wasteland to lush forest. This greenery continued to the end of the crossing where a shuttle bus took us back to Taupo. I returned to the hostel totally drained and examined the damage the 22km hike had done to my feet.