After leaving the Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve we drove to the Tongariro National Park and checked in at the Whakapapa Holiday Park where we stayed two nights ($46 per night).
From the holiday park, we could book a shuttle bus that brought us to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most popular day hikes in New Zealand and is 19.4 km long. For those who like The Lord of the Rings: We went to Mordor 🙂
We booked the shuttle bus for 7 am the next morning ($40 per person return), after we got the OK concerning the weather forecast. It is autumn already here and even the toilets on the track had been dismantled and flown out a couple of days before. But contrary to what we had heard in the visitor centre, there were still several public toilets available on the way. It was a wonderful hike which took us about 6 hours.
Mount Ngauruhoe hidden in clouds
Mount Ngauruhoe (also known as “Mount Doom” in The Lord of the Rings)
Soda Springs
Public toilets – camouflage style
Emerald Lakes
