Ok, I used the bad weather on my second day here to escape a 8hr hike to the Pinnacles in the Coromandel, but here, even with a not-that-engaging weather forecast, I left Taupo yesterday night, heading South, guided by the moon and the impressively bright Southern Cross (the brightest star I've ever seen: compared, the Northern hemisphere Pole star is a joke beside) reflecting on the calm Taupo Lake.
I slept on the side of the road in Tongariro National Park, and woke up at 6h20 this morning with cows 10 meters from me (I was on the right side of the fence ;-) ).
Hurry up, it's time to prepare for the Tongariro Alpine crossing (a one way day hike in the middle of more or less active volcanoes), the shuttle (35 NZD, about 20 Eur) leaves at 7h00 sharp.
I'm the last one to jump in the bus, chat with a young Frenchie Jeremy (his blog) doing a "real" RTW (quit his job, 12 months on the run...) so we decided to hike together.
Basically the hike is first a climb to a flat crater,
followed by a climb to the edge of a second one,
then more or less walking down passing few colorful lakes
a breathtaking view of the Taupo Lake
to end up in a native Kiwi forest
6h10 and 19.3 Km later (including a 900+m positive climb), we arrive just in time to have a nice lunch before going back to the car park where we left the car via the shuttle.
It's time for me to start my trip back to Auckland (plane tomorrow @18h50), with a stop in Waitomo. On the road, the landscapes are sumptuous, as always here...
Tonight, I'm staying in a official campground, with HOT SHOWER ! Menu for tonight : pasta and avocado !
more pix HERE.
I slept on the side of the road in Tongariro National Park, and woke up at 6h20 this morning with cows 10 meters from me (I was on the right side of the fence ;-) ).
Hurry up, it's time to prepare for the Tongariro Alpine crossing (a one way day hike in the middle of more or less active volcanoes), the shuttle (35 NZD, about 20 Eur) leaves at 7h00 sharp.
I'm the last one to jump in the bus, chat with a young Frenchie Jeremy (his blog) doing a "real" RTW (quit his job, 12 months on the run...) so we decided to hike together.
 |
| The weather was finally MUCH better than originally expected (even if not perfect) |
Basically the hike is first a climb to a flat crater,
followed by a climb to the edge of a second one,
then more or less walking down passing few colorful lakes
to end up in a native Kiwi forest
6h10 and 19.3 Km later (including a 900+m positive climb), we arrive just in time to have a nice lunch before going back to the car park where we left the car via the shuttle.
It's time for me to start my trip back to Auckland (plane tomorrow @18h50), with a stop in Waitomo. On the road, the landscapes are sumptuous, as always here...
Tonight, I'm staying in a official campground, with HOT SHOWER ! Menu for tonight : pasta and avocado !
more pix HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment