HIGH POINT
MIKE YARDLEY finds Tongariro has altitude with attitude
TONGARIRO NATIONAL Parksucks you in like aworld unto itself. I recently enjoyed a spring fling with the Ruapehu district, suitably subjected to all four seasons over the course of a few days, while grazing from its abundant buffet of outdoorsy offerings.
At National Park, I hooked up with one of the region’s most seasoned pros in alpine guiding, Stewart Barclay from Adrift Outdoors. Twenty years ago, while climbing the Andes to 20,000 feet, he had an epiphany, deciding to turn his career to adventure guiding— and hasn’t looked back.
The headline hike is unquestionably the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, deserving of its reputation as NZ’S greatest one-day trek. Pre-covid, Stewart’s core client base was international visitors, with most Kiwis opting to do the walk unguided. (And yes, somedo foolishly strike out in jandals and shorts.) But whether you want to do it DIYstyle, or as a guided experience, it’s destined to be a hummerthis summer, with Kiwis savouring the novelty of having the crossing to themselves.
Spanning 19.4km, with an altitude change of nearly900metres, the crossing is like a cross-hatch ofnewzealand alpine and sub-alpine scenery, including a glacial valley, mountain springs, old lava flows, active craters, hissing steam vents, emerald coloured lakes and horizon-wide seraphic views at every turn.
If you plump for a guided summerhike, Adrift Tongariro Guiding can kit you out with suitable clothing and footwear, an energy-loaded lunch and snacks, return transfers from Whakapapa and National Park villages, plus the commanding expertise, storytelling and insights of a professional guide.
Stewart openedmyeyes to a stack of short and sweet walks within the national park that should top your check-list.
Alocal favourite is Lake Rotopounamu, a 5kmcircular track, wrapped by native forest and adored by twitchers and treehuggers. So named for its greenstone hue, the lake fills a crater nestled into the western side of Mt Pihanga. Formed by a landslide 10,000 years ago, what makes the forest so arresting is its trove of primeval podocarps. This stand of forest is true survivor, because it wasn’t in the pyroclastic flow zone of Taupo’s last eruption, 1800 years ago.
The lake itself is amoody little temptress. Wreathed in wispy mist rising above the water, the morning theatrics from the weather gods add to the drama onmyhike. Close to Chateau Tongariro, the Tawhai Falls walk is a cracker, leading you through mountain toatoa and beech forest to a pristinewaterfall of tumbling over the edge of an ancient lava flow.
It’s one of two waterfalls used in Lord of the Rings that depicted Gollum fishing, hence its nickname is Gollum’s Pool. (Mangawhero Falls, near Ohakune, is the other Gollum-fishing location.)
Atwo-hour return walk for even grander waterworks is the6kmhike to Taranaki Falls. Passing through amix of tussock, alpine shrublands and beech forest, the track wraps around the lower slopes of Ruapehu, with sight-inducing views of Ngauruhoe’s symmetrical cone.
Aflock of native birds, including whiteheads and grey warblers, serenaded mystroll all the way to Taranaki Falls, tumbling 20 metres over the edge of a large andesite lava flow which erupted from Ruapehu 15,000 years ago.
Just across the road from Tawhai Falls, the fabulous Moundswalk is a close encounter with debris avalanches during Ruapehu’s periods of volcanic activity. That’s what formed thesemysterious looking mounds thousands of years ago, that fan out across the volcanic plain’s rich carpet of sub-alpine red tussock grass. Time your walk for twilight, because sunset across these mounds is absolutely striking.
Ruapehu’s summertimemenu of pastimes has been spectacularly accentuated by the year-old Sky Waka gondola that whisks you up to the top of Whakapapa skifield and NZ’S highest restaurant, The Pinnacles. Summer sightseeing begins from December 12. Zipping you up to over2000mat up to 6metres per second, Sky Waka is swaddled in luxury comfort, with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The leather seats were designed by renowned Italian designer Pininfarina, who is contracted to Ferrari. As I travelled up the mountain, I gawpeddown at ancient lava flows and a gushing waterfall, while Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro competed for attention.
Ona clear day, the banished one, Mt Taranaki can be seen looming on the western horizon.