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An early start for the Tongariro-Northern-Circuit.asp">Tongariro Northern Circuit. Finished packing and deposited our spare gear in the hostel store, had breakfast and caught a 7.30am bus (left at 7.45) out to the start of the track, along with about 30 youngsters and only a couple of other oldies. Warned that the weather was likely to be cold with some snow on the ground. Whist on the bus we filled in a route intention form, just in case they had to come and find us.
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The bus took us along the 47A, on the north side of Tongariro, sun shone brightly on the white snow capped summit.
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Transferred from our bus to one going to Whakapapa, the lady driver told us about a new track at the bottom of South Island call The Hump Ridge that was worth doing.
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Reached Whakapapa and visited the DOC Office, we had intended to book up some trips for later, but with the new information about the Hump Ridge Track we decided to re-plan. Also intended to book our flights to Great Barrier Island but found that the Wednesday service had been discontinued, so it was back to the drawing board on that as well.
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A Gift of Sacred Mountains
The mid nineteenth century was a time of conflict of ideals between Maori and European settlers. Slowly land was being surveyed and divided into sections for development into farms. Te Heuheu Tukino IV was Paramount Chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa, the tribe of the area surrounding the Tongariro mountains. He had established ownership of these sacred mountains from other tribes but now he saw the European development slowly coming closer. He was now faced with the dilemma of protecting them from the Pakeha.
"If our mountains of Tongariro are included in the blocks passed through the court in the ordinary way, what will become of them? They will be cut up and perhaps sold, a piece going to one 'Pakeha' and a piece to another. They will become of no account, for the 'tapu' will be gone. Tongariro is my ancestor, my 'tupuna'; it is my head; my 'mana' centres around Tongariro. You know my name and history are associated with Tongariro. I cannot consent to the court passing these mountains through the ordinary way. After I am Dead, what will be their fate?" Te Heuheu Tuukino IV 1885
He discussed the problem with his son-in-law, Lawrence Grace, who was MP for Tauranga at the time. He agreed that it was undesirable to permit these famous mountains to be dealt with in the ordinary way. They should be regarded as 'tapu' from private hands.
"Why not make them a tapu place of the crown", he said to Teheuheu, "a sacred place under the mana of the Queen? The only possible way in which to preserve them forever is to give them to the government as a reserve and park, to be the property of all the people of New Zealand, in memory of Te Huehue and his tribe". "Yes", agreed the Chief, "that is the best course, the right thing to do. They shall be a sacred place of the crown, a gift for ever from me and my people."
Assured that the government would accept the gift, Te Heuheu on 23 September 1887 formally offered the mountains as a national park. This made Tongariro the first national park in New Zealand and the 4th in the world. The park was formally established by a act of parliament in 1894 and gazette as such in 1907.
Immediately after Te Heuheu made his generous offer, there were thoughts of enlarging the park. Three separate sections of land tootling 6,518 acres (2,600 hectares) did not come up to the precedent set by Yellowstone National Parks 3,600 square miles in the United States of America. However, little progress was made before 1907.
It was then that an eminent botanist, Dr Leonard Cockayne and Phillips Turner, Inspector of Scenic Reserves, were requested to report on the park and give proposals for expansion. In their report they commented "as originally constituted the park was chiefly volcanic cinders and as such destitute of all plant life. Even the Ruapehu Mountain House (old Waihohonu Hut) together with the adjacent patch of forest are beyond the confines of the park"
To rectify this situation their report went on to offer revised boundaries, they saw amongst other needs the need to add to the park examples of all the special plant associations of the region. "Since it is on these that the unique character of the scenery depends. Volcanoes, geysers, glaciers, lakes and gorges are to be seen elsewhere but our forests, meadows and even deserts stand alone. Thus it follows that in all scenic reserves and in those larger ones called national parks, the preservation of the vegetation should be a matter of first consideration"
Although a few years elapsed before the recommendations of Cockayne and Turner were adopted, the result of their report was a considerable enlargement of the park area. Expansion did not stop here. Over the years, land has been added to the park so that today it covers an area of over 80,000 hectares.
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At 9.45am we set off from Whakapapa (1140m) on a good track until we reached the turn off to the Taranaki Falls, where we crossed a bridge and set off along a more worn path through forest and bush, until we were finally our into bush alone and then scrub.
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To our right was the snow covered cone of Mount Ngauruhoe and in front of us the low hill of Pukeonake. There was no way for us to get lost, the path was well worn, so badly in places that alternatives had been pioneered and in wet sections board walks had been constructed. Also preventing us from loosing the path were posts at about 20m intervals with orange triangles on them. The path was cutting across the side of the mountain and over the streams that flowed down it. Sometimes the streams were rushing with water and sometimes they were dry, sometimes they had a bridge across and at others we had to use steppingstones.
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Mount Tongariro slowly appeared from around the left side of Pukeonake. In the far distance a set of wooden steps, up a steep riverbank came into view and gradually over the next half-hour we made our way towards them. There we decided to take a break and refreshments, as it was 11.45am. As we sat a songbird sitting atop of a nearby bush entertained us.
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At 12.00 we were off again. Having now almost passed Pukeonake on our right we turned right up the valley with Tongariro in front of us. By 12.50 we were at the Mangatepopo Hut (1190m) and made ourselves at home.
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Had lunch and chatted to some Australians who stopped for lunch before passing through. Later we walked up the path to sit in sun and look at plants, before returning to the hut to relax.
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In a clear morning sun four major peaks stood out against the sky. Mount Taranaki was on the distant horizon in the west. Tongariro was to the north and Ngauruhoe was to the south. Ruapehu was also to the south, partly hidden by Pukekaikiore.
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Today's section of the walk was known as the Tongariro Crossing, one of the classic day walks.
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At 7.45 we started out east, following the Mangatepopo stream up the valley. Where the track was level it had been maintained but over steeper ground we had to scramble up over lava rocks. With the sun still low we passed into and out of shadows and sunshine.
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Emerald Lakes
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By 8.45 we had reached the head of the valley and started to climb. The frost stabilised the lava sand, pockets of snow lay around. Soon it was 9.15 and we were on the rim of the South Crater which we descended into and walked across the flat surface made muddy by the melting snow. Another brief climb up the east rim of South Crater brought us to a view overlooking Central Crater and Blue Lake to our left, Emerald Lakes in front of us and Red Crater to the right. Steam seeped from the ground around Red Crater. Descended steeply, on ground scoria, to the Emerald Lakes where we rested in the sun. The promised winds of 60km/hr didn't materialise and we were able to sit around in our T-shirts admiring the view.
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Continued on, crossing Central Crater that was partly covered in snow and skirted around to the west of Blue Lake. Soon we were descending down towards Ketetahi Hut (1425m), Lake Rotoaira gradually appeared in the distance. A well-maintained path eased our way and as the hut came into view a series of gently descending switch backs lay before us to take us down to it. By 12.45pm we were there, and ready for our lunch.
Spent the afternoon in the sun on the hut veranda overlooking Lakes Rotoaira and Taupo, this must be one of the best views in the world.
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Lake Rotoaira
Lake Taupo behind
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Arose to another bright clear sky, but unfortunately we were not able to get the photo of the lakes in the morning light, as we had hoped, as they were covered in low cloud.
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Another day another landscape. Started off at 7.40, first retracing our steps back to the Emerald Lakes. The snow of the previous day was still about but there was less of it.
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Climbed the slope above the lake to obtain a view of the path ahead of us in the valley below. Initially the path took us down beside the outflow from Emerald Lakes, with sulphur smells being given up by the waters as they tumbled over the rocks. Following the crest of a tongue of lava that had erupted from Red Crater we descended down to the first of a series of overlapping craters and lava flows. The path was covered in volcanic boulders and clinker.
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Vegetation island
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Continued loosing altitude, through craters and over lava rocks and sand until we reached the Oturere Hut (1360m) at 10.40 and stopped for a mid morning break.
From Oturere Hut the path turned right and took us towards Ruapehu in the distance crossing rolling hills of gravel and talus with islands of vegetation, where each island contained nearly all the plant varieties to be found in the area. Now away from the paths used by day walkers we could appreciate the isolation of the wilderness. During the whole day we met only four people trammelling in the opposite direction and three in the same direction.
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The final section of the day dropped us first into a deep valley with a stream rushing through it then just as steeply up the other side through a beech wood. After a grind we reached an open top. The Waihohonu Hut (1120m) lay down in the valley below us, which we reached at 1.00 by walking through more beech wood.
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Again spent the afternoon relaxing and planning.
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The good weather that we had been enjoying deserted us and we awoke to a grey sky and light drizzle. Before leaving at 7.35 we debated whether to put on wet weather gear or not, we voted one each.
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Fifteen minutes after setting off it was obvious that the drizzle was getting worse rather than improving and so we ended up in full water proofs. Squalls of rain interrupted the drizzle as we followed the Waihohonu Stream up the valley walking across, gravel, peat and bog; mist was also obscuring the views of the mountains. Sometimes the path was eroded so deep that it was no longer passable and a second path had been cut beside it.
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As we approached the head of the valley the weather had cleared and the mist lifted but after going over the top we were in for worse with the drizzle now turning to rain. The white flowers that we had seen now and again on previous days we now a regular feature.
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After the turn off to the Tama Lakes the marker posts ceased, perhaps this was because the path was so eroded that they thought there was no way we could miss it! Some major reconstruction work was underway to stabilise the area.
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Turned of at Taranaki Falls to follow a less exposed path back to Whakapapa. It also gave us a chance to view the falls that even in the rain were worth it. Continued to follow the Wairere Stream through beech wood until we reached the bridge that we cross the first day, from here it was just a short walk to Whakapapa and a chance to dry out and sit in a cafe to warm up with hot chocolate.
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Spent the afternoon, while waiting for our bus, browsing the visitors centre and generally killing time. And the evening drying out our wet cloths washing and a treat of an evening meal in a restaurant.
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