- NZ Road Trip – North Island – Day 3
- Tongariro National Park
- Tuesday 24th February 2026
We didn’t come to Tūrangi just to admire the scenery. We came for one thing. To hike the legendary Tongariro Alpine Crossing. In fact probably one of our main reasons for visiting the North Island.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 19.4-kilometre (12-mile) day hike. It is widely regarded as one of the finest single-day walks in the world. Typically, taking between seven to eight hours to complete, the route crosses dramatic volcanic terrain, including steaming craters, ancient lava fields and the striking Emerald Lakes.
The track is said to be demanding, with rapidly changing weather conditions, exposed sections and challenging underfoot surfaces. Because of this and the number of search and rescue callouts each year walkers are asked to plan carefully, arrange transport such as a shuttle and carry adequate water and appropriate gear.
After leaving the steaming earth of Rotorua behind, we headed south with real anticipation building. This wasn’t just another walk. This was the walk.
The Crossing sits within Tongariro National Park, New Zealand’s oldest national park and it feels ancient the moment you step onto the trail.
The landscape shifts constantly. Theres boardwalks over alpine scrub, rocky volcanic paths, steep climbs over loose red scoria.
And then….the Red Crater, its stark, raw and can I say…. Otherworldly.
You genuinely feel like you’re walking across another planet.
The peaks stood sharp against the sky, including Mount Ngauruhoe (aka ‘Mount Doom’), rising dramatically beside us…today she looked absolutely stunning and nothing like the version in The Lord of The Rings movie!
And then you crest the ridge and see them….The Emerald Lakes. They’re bright, almost impossibly green against the dark volcanic rock. Steam drifting across the surface. The kind of view that makes you stop mid-step and just stare.
No photo quite captures it. No description quite does it justice. You simply just have to stand there and take it in.
We were unbelievably lucky with the weather as we had been told the trail had been closed for several days due to high winds. Today, we had blue skies, clear views with hardly a breath of wind.
Good weather in alpine terrain changes everything. It meant we could really absorb the scale of it all, the vastness, the silence, the drama.
It was challenging at times, there was some steep climbs and it was a long hike, but every step felt worth it.
By the time we descended toward the bushline, legs tired, there was that familiar outdoor adventure feeling, elated and completely satisfied.
It wasn’t just a hike. It felt like an experience.
Walking across an active volcanic plateau in one day….New Zealand does not do ordinary.
Mary's Outdoor Adventure's 