The Tongariro Crossing

The Tongariro Alpine crossing is billed as New Zealand's best one day hike. It passes between two important andesitic volcanoes, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe and covers 19.4km in length between Mangatepopo to the west of the mountains and Ketetahi Road end to the north and takes an estimated 7-8 hours to complete. It can be walked in either direction, but the way that I did it is the usual way round to do it because that way you have less climbing to do - the start is much higher than the end point. Where is it? The Tongariro crossing is in the Tongariro National Park, which is located in the ... more

The Tongariro Crossing has been described as "the greatest one-day walk in New Zealand". On the North Island, near to Lake Taupo, it's a demanding 17km hike across volcanic terrain. Although it can be done as part of the Tongariro Northern Circuit, a 4 day walk, it's usually done in isolation as a one-day hike, which was energetic enough for me! It's supposed to take 6-8 hours, but will obviously vary according to fitness levels and how often you want to stop. There are a couple of bus companies that do shuttle runs to the start and end of the track - the area's not well-served by public ... more