Tongariro Crossing Field Trip - 20 Feb 1010

We had a good turnout for the crossing field trip with 19 hardy souls ready to take on the mountain. Most people had not done it before. It was a perfect day for the crossing; Mother Nature was definitely on our side weather-wise.

The majority of us met on the Friday night before the big day and went out for a meal. The IPPS motto of 'seek and share' was very appropriate for some campers who either under, or over-packed for the trip. We swapped and shared everything from blankets to spoons and packs to ensure everybody were well prepared for the challenge.

The Tongariro Crossing winds up the Mangatepopo Valley to the saddle between Tongariro and Ngaruahoe. It climbs to the Red Crater (1886m), then drops down to the vivid Emerald Lakes. The track then sidles around the northern slope of Tongariro and descends down to Ketetahi Hut and then to the pick-up point. It is just under 20km one way and usually takes around 7-8 hours. Some of our more energetic members finished in around 6 hours but the majority took about 7 hours.
Then it was back to the pub for a well earned beer or two!!!! (and a couple of foot massages went down a treat).

There was some botanising happening on the way with the alpine flora providing some spectacular contrast from alpine herb fields to tussock lands and down through some lowland bush on the return. We were happy to see some alpine flowers still out to.