Tongariro Northern Circuit - Day 2

The second day of the Tongariro Northern Circuit can be tackled as a day trip (the Tongariro Crossing) if you don’t mind a few bus rides. Many don’t, and despite an early start we are soon caught by the procession of these fresh, unencumbered walkers. There is no consensus among them on the conditions to expect – the paraders are as likely by dressed for volleyball as for mountaineering. The latter preparations prove the wiser. The track requires a five-hundred meter climb up a lava flow to a saddle. Periodically, the cold mist here lifts like a curtain and vast moonscape is revealed. Across the saddle is another long climb. The cold and wind are formidable – icicles form horizontally and sudden gusts re-locate unanchored feet. But it’s too cold to stop and too far to go back; despite my full attention to the question, there seems no alternative to taking the next step forward. It’s worth it in the end. As we reach the summit, the wind subsides and the clouds clear allowing clear views of the surrounding landscape. From the summit, the daytrippers branch off on a separate track. Our trail leads down another lava flow and through an alpine desert to the next hut.