Day 5 (10-Oct-2012) Taupo

As we did not have to check out of the Hotel today breakfast was a leisurely affair, after which we packed ruck sacks for the day’s adventure in Tongariro National Park. We then departed for Whakapapa village, a ski resort at the base of Mt Ruapehu, just under 100km from Taupo. The route borders Lake Taupo until Turangi, almost halfway to the ski resort. Once we turned off onto Highway 47, the weather turned ever more ominous as we gained altitude. By the time we reached Whakapapa, the car was buffeted by strong winds and we could hardly hear each other over the din of driving rain. With the cloud base several hundred feet below us, visibility had also been reduced to just a few feet only.

Facing such dire circumstances, the idea of hiking 17km around the base of Mt. Ruapehu to the saddle with Mt. Ngauruhoe seemed absurd. And so it was entirely the right thing to do! Properly equipped, we thus put best feet forward, thinking of queens (Elizabeth and Beatrix), countries (England and Holland), conquest and glory; all under the gaze of a bewildered local populace.  However, within 15 minutes our resolve was already severely tested, with the driving rain proving irksome in the extreme. Undeterred, we plodded onwards and upwards, reaching the turn off with the Taranaki Falls in just 30 minutes; half the time stipulated in the guide book.

We then angled off to the right towards the lower of the two Tama Lakes. At this point the Gods seem to have taken pity on us; halting the rain and slowly elevating the cloud base above our heads. Buoyed by the respite, we continued on our trek, and were eventually rewarded with patches of blue sky and the odd ray of sun to warm our chilled bodies. Finally, not only did the wind acquiesce, it changed direction also, helping to propel us up the saddle to the rim of the first lake, rather than attempting to hurl us backwards towards oblivion. These changing circumstances allowed us to reach the lake in just over another hour from Taranaki Falls, 1.5hrs quicker than stated in the guide book.

After marvelling at the turquoise lake for a few minutes we continued onwards and upwards to the upper lake. This was to be no pushover however, with the gale force winds and associated wind chill at the higher altitudes making for difficult conditions on the steep scree slope up the crater rim at the back of the first lake. We nonetheless did reach the end of the trail above the second lake. Unfortunately, the thick fog almost completely obscured views of the lake; scant reward for our efforts I thought! Regardless, with mission half accomplished, and with Mt. Ruapehu slowly revealing herself as the cloud base continued to rise, we were happy with the outcome.

The journey back to the car was uneventful, though the detour around Taranaki Falls was very delightful. On returning to the car we hugged a hot cuppa before then slowly making our way back to Taupo, snatching some good photos of the entire volcanic chain as we left Tongariro National Park. After a warm shower we toasted the day's achievement with a 'few' glasses of wine.