Tongariro Crossing - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**TheWills** · 02-09-2007, 08:03 PM

Hey all if you ever make a trip to new zealand and dont do the Tongariro crossing one day hike then there is something wrong with you or you best be in a wheelchair or crutches. I just did it and it was a 17K 7 hour walk and it was fantastic probably the best day hike ever. So now you know and you have no reason to miss it
wills

**TheJake** · 02-10-2007, 12:56 AM

thanks will! What's your ETA on canadaland?

**kingcrazylegs** · 02-10-2007, 10:01 AM

show us some pics dude!

**lauren313** · 02-11-2007, 01:23 PM

I went to New Zealand, and I had to miss doing it

And it's not as if I'm in a wheelchair or anything!

The weather was pretty abismal when we were there, and they kept changing their minds about whether or not trips would go ahead. So every morning, we'd have to go and check a noticeboard in the tourist info place to see whether or not it would go ahead. And it never did in the days we were close enough to do it.

Boo.

**kiwichick** · 02-12-2007, 06:14 PM

hey lol think its spelt tongariro just in case anyone wanted to look into, i've only ever heard good things about it. the queen charlotte track (i think..) down south is also awesome if ya into that sorta thing

**florencia9699** · 02-12-2007, 06:48 PM

^^ Yes it is. I changed it in case anyone is looking for info for Tongariro and types it in the search bar.

**mushroom22** · 02-12-2007, 08:14 PM

I was told not to leave NZ without going on this hike, some of the best advice of my trip. It was one of my favoirte days. Beautiful, beautiful views and the hike isn't as hard as they make it out to be!

**mushroom22** · 02-12-2007, 08:15 PM

sorry, didn't know those would be so big.....hmmm

**florencia9699** · 02-13-2007, 10:29 AM

That's more like it! Feautiful photos!!! I'm gonna look that place up on GoogleEarth!!

**Diorama** · 02-13-2007, 12:06 PM

Thanks for the tip! I will be heading to NZ later this year. I'll put it on my ever growing 'to do' list! The pics rock and I'm sure it doesn't do it justice!

**mooloo** · 02-14-2007, 12:17 AM

Wow it is pretty! This is only about 1.5hours from my place! We drove past the mountain on the weekend and thats something i thought would be really cool to do!! Thanks for the reminder about this place, its amazing how many places you don't even think about that are so close to home.

I think i will definately try to do that trip this year

**travelpunk** · 02-14-2007, 01:58 AM

Spectacular!

What's up with the diminishing snow?! Seems to me that a mountain or volcano of that size (in the background) should have a thick layer of snow all year round. Is that due to global warming?

**joe7f** · 02-14-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelpunk

Spectacular!

What's up with the diminishing snow?! Seems to me that a mountain or volcano of that size (in the background) should have a thick layer of snow all year round. Is that due to global warming?

If the photo was taken recently, it is Summer in New Zealand, so that could be contributing to it.

--Joey

**mushroom22** · 02-14-2007, 01:20 PM

The photo was taken last May, so it was just going into Winter there.

I didn't hear any talk of Global Warming, so I assume it was normal conditions!

**florencia9699** · 02-14-2007, 01:44 PM

Well.. my boyfriend's dad says he loves NZ beause to him it's like a little Argentina (geograpically skeaking) and we don't get snow here in the mountains until mid June. That would be my non-scientific explanation.

**mooloo** · 02-14-2007, 09:21 PM

I don't know why there isnt a lot of snow, perhaps global warming? I thought the snow would have been there in may but our seasons have been strange the last few year! Summer doesnt seem to really kick in untill February (Its supposed to be december here!).

**TheWills** · 02-20-2007, 04:58 PM

Yeah there is less snow there in the winter time,
When I went on the hike it was really cool cause it wasnt the clearest of days it clouded over but then cleard up when it needed to like at the red crater and emerald lakes and such, but it was really surreal walking around that lunar landscape in almost no vis, because out of nowhere a body would emerge from the fog so it was like a cool zombie movie or something, but still just getting out and doing the hike was nice and its real rewarding and makes you feel real active lol good times that one, I thought it better then the abel tasman track which was a bit of a dissapointment!

Oh that reminds me if your going to the Abel Tasman National park I would hire a kyak and do it like that rather then walk, the walk is all through bush with not much coastline and its quite uneventful! Just what I found!

**SuDz** · 02-27-2007, 10:52 AM

Nice, that looks awesome.

SuDZ

**freespiritz** · 03-08-2007, 09:44 PM

Those are some beautiful pics, and now I definitely need to add this to my list of places to check out! The second photo almost reminds me of the mountains in China.