The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a grand name which in truth reflects the scenery and difficulty that would be experienced in winter. Promoted as possibly the best one day walk in New Zealand, the moderately graded walk is regularly completed by many hundreds every day in the months when alpine skills and equipment are not a requirement, the days are longer and the weather kinder.

This is not the place to give detailed descriptions of the mountain environment, but suffice to say that the magnificence of the Tongariro National Park is due to the ever present triumvirate of volcanos Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Ruapehu last erupted in 2007, and Ngauruhoe in 1975. Seismic activity is constantly monitored and if there is any danger this is widely publicised, in serious cases a siren sounds in the village of Whakapapa where we have taken a motorhome spot for a couple of nights, and signs on the track light up to tell you to turn back. Of course it is not just molten lava and rocks raining from the sky that are the danger, but 'lahars', huge streams of mud, rock and ash that can be released from crater lakes and quickly flow down gullies and watercourses sweeping everything away in front of them. In a big eruption, lahars can flow for many tens of kilometres.

That all being said, we are looking forward to our last two nights in our now friendly Beast, Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th. The Whakapapa camp site is noticably chilly at 1,020m (3,400ft) above sea level.....there is actually no permanent accommodation in the UK as high as this. We have grown quite attached to our van and are getting quite used to living with it, even going as far as thoroughly recommending this sort of living to you all, not for long stretches but a few days at a time and weekends. The motorhome has given us flexibility of where we want to go, and avoids the need to book up motels in advance, which can be time consuming and you would have to lug all your baggage in and out of the motels every day. It is not ultra cheap, as you are effectively paying for a very expensive car to use during the week and sometimes just sitting outside the house. But for us it works, and has allowed us to see a good deal of the country so far…..which was the idea in the first place.

We have chosen the 8am minibus departure from the campsite, other options being 7 and 9am. The drop off car park, at the walk start, is like a minibus convention, with lots of different companies dropping off their clients. We set off up the track, with scores of like minded trampers, from ages 8 to 80. The track is well endowed with drop toilets (as are many of the NZ tracks) and at the first a queue forms. A woman's voice shouts from the next loo to where we are standing, a kind of distressed call. 'Dan! Dan!'

After a couple of moments, Dan, who is chatting to his walk buddies, looks round and, approaching the loo to hear what his wife is calling about, replies 'Ja?'

'Es ist kein Papier, mir etwas Papier', her voice cries. Dan informs the queue 'There is no paper, she needs paper'. So, searching in his rucksac and not finding the necessary item, replies 'Wo ist es?'. The wife shouts back 'In der Tasche!'. Sure enough, that is where the life saver is is and Dan hands it into the hut while eyes turn away. And we thought all NZ loos have paper, padlocked or not.

The next section is a thousand feet of steep path and we are regularly overtaken by walkers a quarter, a third and half our age. Encouragingly, not many late fifty-somethings pass us and it's all worth the effort as we reach the first real rest point at the edge of a crater and join a few score folk who are eating their early lunch. Distant views are a bit obscured by cloud but the rain has stayed away and it is not windy at all. The forecast for tomorrow, Sunday, is not as good so we've made the right decision to come up today, plus it lets Lesley have a day to recover before work again on Monday. A photo is worth a thousand words, so we've posted a few under 'Photos'.

The barren landscape is full of interest, not just from people watching but craters, emerald and blue lakes, huge rocks ejected in recent eruptions and lave formations, weathered into grotesque shaped forms.

Passing the Red Crater we step aside for a few folk who are doing the climb in the opposite direction. This could be annoying I can see, as in places the track and duckboards lower down are narrow, and as the general mass of folk are doing the walk anti clockwise, there is not much room to pass. As we descend, the finish car park looks a very long way off in the distance. Those trampers who have their eyes on the 4pm buses speed up their pace…..you are constantly looking over your shoulder as hurried footsteps approach from behind, and frequently step aside to let the overtakers past.

The 4pm looks doable for us, but Lesley's hip starts to give her gip and we take it a bit easier, making the finish car park with ¾ hour to spare before the 5.30pm bus, the wait being spent blissfully lying on our backs snoozing in the sun…nae bad thing at all! It's been a really good day, a very satisfying 19km/12 miles and 850m/2,800 feet of ascent.

A big attraction, not just in these parts, but in New Zealand as a whole, are the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We decided a few weeks ago to visit this much acclaimed attraction, knowing that Mangakino was well situated to visit and on Wednesday which is Lesley's half day fire up the van for its penultimate trip.

We arrive in good time, it was lucky for that as I'd been given the wrong story over the phone that morning as to where to meet. We do speak English as do New Zealanders, but sometimes they don't pick up some things we say. Can I make my Queen's English any clearer? You cheerily comment to the filling station attendant, 'Rain's gone off now I see' and you get a blank look back, with 'Sign here , Sir, thank you'.

Still, we've got enough time to hare the 3km back to the main complex to pick up the tickets, and meet the guide. Lesley rides in the back of the van, being thrown around while on the 'phone to her NZ GP supervisor, exhorting him for the nth time to fax her the end of Mangakino appointment check sheet with his signature. He's very laid back is Rob, 'oh, it's Friday you're leaving, is it?', this happened in Gisborne as well with Lesley taken to the wire on her last day getting him to sign paperwork. How many times do you have to remind someone? Lesley requires his signature at the end of each locum appointment so that she can demonstrate competence to the NZ Medical Council. Why you ask, well, there could be a next time……..

The two caves we have opted for in a 'combi' ticket prove to be absolutely fascinating and spellbinding. There are 45km of limestone caverns altogether, of which public access is only to about 2km. The 1.5 hour experience is surreal and moving as we proceed along the well constructed walkways in silence, marvelling at the formations cleverly lit and showcased. From the blackess the rush of a distant waterfall comes closer, and we perch over a dark abyss peering down 30 metres to a stream below where a line of 'black water rafter's pass in tyre inner tubes, wetsuits and torches. They have abseiled into the caverns and are getting their adrenaline rush by navigating through tight passages in near darkness. It looks pretty good fun!

The caves are owned privately, and leased to operating tour companies. Our second cave has a short boat ride underground in a pitch black grotto the roof of which is festooned with glowworms. They shine like stars in the sky, and you have to pinch yourself that this is for real and not a Walt Disney creation. In absolute silence our guide navigates the boat through the cavern, everybody fascinated by this natural wonder. The mouth of this cave approaches, with the bush coming into sight. A huge thunderclap resounds through the cave, is it an audio effect? Not at all, a second clap crashes outside. It's for real, yes, and what goes with it is a downpour, now we see why folk wear jackets, it's not the cold, it's for the NZ rain!

A great experience altogether, the past few days. Our time in Mangakino is coming to an end, and we prepare to move to Queenstown, South Island, on Saturday.