Today was the big day!! When our alarm went off at 5am it was wet outside, so we had to pack up a wet and dirty tent. None of us moved very quickly on the dark cold morning, but eventually after a simple breakfast we started our hike at 7am.
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| Photo credit: Ryan P |
We were worried that the first 3 hours would actually take 5 because of the mud, but luckily we were one of the first groups on the trail so it wasn't so bad. It was really cloudy so we couldn't see any sort of view, so we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into. Turns out on a clear day you can see the volcano from the parking lot, and I'm not sure we would have been as excited to do the hike had that been the case! This way it was a mystery, and kind of exciting. We were in good spirits and enjoyed the first bit of the hike.
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| Photo credit: Kat |
3.5 hours later, pretty much right on schedule, we got to the Mangatepopo Hut for our first break. The last people were just leaving there, so we filled up our water, had a snack, and went on our way again. The stretch after that was a lot of boardwalks, and it even had a bathroom. Unfortunately we weren't expecting that and we passed it right after I reluctantly peed in the bushes.
After the boardwalks we started our ascent, which meant lots and lots of exhausting stairs. Eventually we got to the trail access for people who wanted to actually hike up Mount Doom, but we were already exhausted and the clouds were still covering it completely, so the 3 hour detour and 600m vertical hike was not going to happen.
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| Looking for the volcano. Photo credit: Kat |
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
We ended up at this really beautiful, misty flat stretch that looked like a crater just as the sky was clearing a bit. Supposedly everyone felt the ground and it was very hot, but no one told me to test it out. I guess the geologists just assumed I would know to check! The flat bit was a nice reprieve before we had another big uphill.
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| Photo credit: Kat |
The next uphill was when things really started to get interesting. Half-way up was the first time we got to see over to the other side of the ridge, which was a spectacular view. Plus looking over the misty, flat crater was super cool. And the clouds cleared perfectly for us to see the first real view of Mount Ngauruhoe! We had a pretty good photo shoot there before we prepared ourselves for the second half of the uphill section. It was very steep, and to me it was really scary. The loose rock and narrow path were not very enticing. Then of course a man carrying a baby passed us...that's always deflating.
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| View over the ridge. Photo credit: Kat |
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| Photo credit: Kat |
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| That's where we just came from. Photo credit: Ryan R |
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
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| View over the ridge. |
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| Finally a volcano view! |
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| That's where we're headed next. |
Up the hill we went! We got the most amazing view of Emerald and Blue Lake when the sun hit them just right. The way down was actually kind of fun because it was black sand, so it was easier to get down than we expected. Some people were doing the hike in the opposite direction, and that would have been really tough to get up. This was the point where Ryan's knees really started to bother him, so luckily we had walking poles to help him along.
There was heated debate amongst the geologists whether the lakes would be warm or very acidic, so naturally I stuck my finger in to test it. Turns out the water was actually very cold, and didn't burn my flesh. Lucky me! The air did smell like sulphur though.
From there the hiking was actually pretty flat, with a really neat apocalyptic feel because of all of the lava rocks around us. This is also where we got sunburnt, except Ryan P who had his full-brimmed hat on. This path seemed to go on forever and the end never got any closer. The last hour was exceptionally beautiful, but we were definitely ready for it to end.
We FINALLY made it to the Oturere Hut around 5:30pm, which meant we had been hiking for 10.5 hours. We walked at a good pace but took longer breaks, and we were happy with that. The hut was beautiful and there were tons of people sitting outside enjoying the sun, celebrating their accomplishment. We weren't the last to arrive, and we enjoyed the evening by stretching, massaging our sore muscles, and eating some cheese with scotch. Shortly after, we got to cooking our dinner (soup and cooked chicken), and just relaxed for the rest of the night, happy to have the weight out of our packs. Funny enough, though, Kat and Ryan R each brought their own identical electric toothbrushes, each with their own handle, so they clearly weren't worried about the weight that much!
We had forgotten our booking confirmation, and the hut was overbooked, but they let us stay anyway. Turns out we were all good, but it was worrisome there for a while. We were stiff, but happy and feeling good, and ready for bed at 8:30pm. The beds were in the kitchen though, so sleep was delayed and a bit rough. At least we had a nice view!
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
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| Photo credit: Ryan P |
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
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