Day 8 :: Walking through Mordor

Day 08 - Tongariro Crossing

Today, I did the Tongariro Crossing which is about an 8-hour day hike in Tongariro National Park. The hike starts in the highlands above tree line, before encountering 2 steep but short ascents. The trail winds through 2 dormant volcanoes, 3 emerald-colored lakes (because of high mineral content, and geothermically active features such as fumaroles and springs. I actually encountered 2 French girls trying to make boiling water for their hot cholocate, right on top of an active fumarole. In the end, they decided not to drink the water for fear of volcanic chemicals and what not. The second half of the hike goes through a foggy land of tussock grasses before diving into wet fern-tree forests. The fog is so thick, you can't see more than 50 feet ahead of you at times.

As a side note, Tongariro National Park is where they filmed Mordor for the movie Lord of the Rings. Although, I didn't meet Frodo and Sam on their quest to destroy the Ring of Power, I did meet Toby from Switzerland (who I had run into the day before). His intent was to complete the "Northern Circuit", which is a 3-day loop through 3 of the park's volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngaruhoe, and Ruapehu (the tallest peak on New Zealand's north island. Today, however, he was intent on climbing Mount Ngaruhoe - this is the same mountain used to film Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. We parted ways, as he headed towards the summit, while I continued with The Crossing.

I finished the trek in about 7 hours, with plenty of time to take rest stops. Surprisingly, I don't have any blisters but I passed out as soon as I got to the hostel.