Tongariro Crossing.

Sixteen of us from Raglan travelled to Ruapehu to do the acclaimed Tongariro Crossing. It was a fabulous experience. It is a 20 kilometre alpine walk which climbs to about 2000 metes asl. We were lucky enough to have a perfect day but as it is up a high and exposed mountain it is necessary to be properly equipped with jackets and warm clothing . Some of the climb is very steep and so it is not an easy walk. However the reward is the stunning scenery. These mountains are still active volcanos and some steam is escaping from vents in places.In this image one of the vents at the Red Crater is visible. The peak in the background is Mount Ngaruahoe. Further along from this point we came to the Emerald lakes which are fluorescent green and blue colours. With such scenery this has become an extremely popular walk with some 80,000 doing it each year. It is free and can be done in 6 - 8 hours.