What's good for 100,000 people a year can not be bad, right?
Time for me to do the most popular day hike in New Zealand, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing!
I booked the earliest shuttle (driving to the mountain by car is not welcome) so I'm already in the lane at 5:15 am, about an hour before sunrise. Obviously I got used to hiking, because without hurry I will soon be ahead of my shuttle riders, but get to know a very nice Ami who started from a cabin at night. Together, we look forward to the dawn, until we go in the saddle between Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruho separate ways - I may want to Mt. Tongariro, he on the difficult Mt. Ngauruho, which is now also known as "Mt. Doom "is known. Or. in German "fate mountain" ... He served the "Lord of the Rings" director as a template for the visual implementation. The mountain also looks like the perfect picture book volcano! An insane presence, one can hardly take his eyes off it.
After just two hours, I could scream "First" ... It just nobody hears, I'm alone at the highest point and the middle of the hike ... Far too early, the sun is still too low for good light.
So I go back a bit and to the summit of Mt. Tongariro. Another two hours I'm alone there, make "lunch break" (at just after 8) overlooking Mt. Ngauruho and Mt. Ruapehu.
Then I return to the main line (which is 20 km in total). Here I see now the misery of the mass tourism, which I blame myself for: a continuously uninterrupted line of people pushes over the Red Crater. Good that I was here more than two hours before ...
Coincidentally I meet the Ami again and get to know two Germans, both Franks, they from Volkach (for the non-Franks: this is almost directly in Würzburg). We chat together for two hours and take our next break at Blue Lake.
When I start the descent afterwards, the biggest rush is almost through. Everything done right.
Running time for the Alpine Crossing itself was under five hours, but with the excursion to the summit and chilling it was a perfect full day! And despite the crowds: it's worth it! The pictures do not live up to the experience (eg the extreme colors of the lakes do not even come across), but it's great!
Not chronological, but anyway: Before the hike, I started my North Island short visit to Wellington, finally, there is the ferry. The city is not particularly spectacular, but has an exceptionally good National Museum (Te Papa) and, as its capital, the Parliament, which offers excellent free guided tours. For politically interested like me great. Parliament is proud to be very transparent. New Zealand is one of only three stable democracies that have no constitution. This has made crucial modifications easier throughout history. In 1950, the two-chamber system was replaced by Anglo-Saxon model by only one chamber (the parliament). And about 20 years ago, according to the German model, the proportional representation right (even with first and second vote) was introduced. New Zealand became the first women-elective country in the world starting in 1892. And became better known last year because the head of government was the first to become a mother in office.
Well: first the pictures of the crossing, then a few impressions of Wellington.
I also thought recently that I probably could not keep up with your pace at the moment because you've been training every day for the past few months. As always - great pictures! Like!