Francesca and Henk-Jan's Backpacking Trip!

Disclaimer: PICTURES UP!

Hi there!

Henk here, with so much to tell you and so much to share with you. I’ll take you back to Taupo, our last stop. Francesca had just jumped out of an airplane and we were done with the things we wanted to do here. We had booked the Stray-bus for Wednesday-morning on the 15th of July. Our next stop would be National Park, home to the Tongariro-crossing. I had gotten Francesca moderately excited at the prospect of a long hike, so we had decided to do it. Since the Stray-bus would take us there early in the morning we had set the alarm for 5 in the morning. We knew it would get cold so the previous night we had walked down to The Warehouse to purchase some polyprop undertrousers and -shirts.

Very sleepy, but ready for the walk we emptied out our room and left the key behind. I dragged all the bags outside and Francesca brought the food. Unfortunately, I had forgotten we also had some food in the fridge, which we could no longer access since we had left the key in the room. Fortunately, we could call one of the employees and asked them to open the kitchen up for us. At this point we had been waiting for half an hour and were half expecting not to see a Stray-bus pull up. We knew that the crossing was weather-dependent, but had no way to find out whether it was on or not since we stayed in a different hostel from everyone else. We basically got up that early for naught… Good thing we had left the kitchen open! We made ourselves comfortable on one of the many couches and watched a bunch of Gossip Girl-episodes. Around 8:30AM I called the Stray-office to make sure they hadn’t forgotten about us. The weather had turned out to be too bad, so we had to wait until 10:30AM for the bus to arrive.

I grabbed all our bags for a second time and moved them outside again. We met our new driver, Metro and asked him about alternative options for doing the crossing. It appeared we could also book it from National Park, without any added costs. We hopped on the bus and off we went!
The first stop of the day was Tokaanu, famous for its natural hotsprings. Metro gave us the choice between a plunge in these springs, or a walk and a bite. We didn’t feel much like getting wet, so we did the walk and saw more boiling mud and water. However, in this case the water was extremely clear, making the view of the underwater world quite spectacular. The walk took us about 20 minutes; after that we decided to go look for the café down the road. After another 10 minutes of strolling we found the café with our driver and some other passengers enjoying a drink and a bite. Francesca had had a craving for a hotdog, so we checked the menu for that. Unfortunately they only had battered hotdog, which she opted to get regardless. We shared a hot chocolate and read a book about golf in extreme conditions. After the food I really fancied ice cream, so we both picked a tasty one and enjoyed it to the fullest.





We drove off again towards National Park. We made the mandatory stop at the watch-out-for-crossing-kiwis-sign, took some pictures and made it to the tiny village. We had told Metro we really wanted a double (with my b’day coming up), and had assumed we were gonna be able to get one. We were quite disappointed with the service when we checked in, and there was no double available at all. Apparently there was a big party coming up, which meant all the doubles were fully booked. Being quite tired we decided to check in first, and to have a look around in the town after that. We walked around for over an hour, visiting several lodges and hostels, and making calls to the ones we didn’t want to walk to. In the end we decided to go to the Pukenui Lodge, a quiet place just across the street from the big lodge everyone else stayed at. Francesca got us a really good deal for a comfy double with ensuite and we checked in. We brought our bags over and relaxed for the rest of the day. We had really fast and free wireless internet, so we downloaded a lot of music, movies and series. We also checked for possibilities of doing the crossing on the following day. We were put on hold due to expected bad weather and not enough people signing up. We fell asleep quite early, but really satisfied with our choice of lodge.



Friday was quite a peaceful day as well. We slept in and watched more Gossip Girl. The day went past pretty quickly like that, so around 18:00PM we got ready for dinner. We stopped by the front desk on the way out and asked if there were any other companies to do the hike with. The owner made a few calls and huzzah, we were on for Saturday providing the weather’d be okay enough in the morning! We ate great pumpkin pasta and prepared for the following day. I got all our clothes ready and made sure we had enough water and warm clothes packed. I had set the alarm for 5:55AM so I could get out and make the call to the office. The high word came and we were going! I woke up Francesca, who was still snoozing and we made breakfast and packed lunch. We were picked up around 7:00AM and met our first guide, Sarah. Our boots were suited with crampons (you know, spikes under your shoes to make sure you don’t slip and slide in the snow), and we bought ourselves some gloves and beanies.



We got to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing around 8:00AM. It has dramatic scenery and unique land forms which combined make the Tongariro Alpine Crossing a world-renowned trek. It is rated as the best one day trek in New Zealand and listed by many in the top 10 day treks in the world. We stood around at Mangatepopo car park for a while waiting for another, bigger bus coming in. When it got there we were about 20 people plus 2 guides. We got a pole each to make walking in the snow later on a tad easier, and off we went. Our first guide had already taken off, so Francesca and I tried to keep up with her. However, since we were taking pictures here and there we just saw her disappearing further and further in the distance.



The first 2 hours saw us meandering up to the start of the real climb. The terrain wasn’t too rough here, and we were making good time. Slowly we saw snow appearing on our left and right from previous nights. Here and there we had to climb over some rocks, but it was mostly smooth sailing. When we made it to the base of the climb we were surrounded by snow. We took a short break, ate some chocolate, drank some water and enjoyed some nuts & raisins to power us up for the hardest part of the crossing; ‘Devil’s Staircase.’ As the name implies, it’s not the easiest ‘staircase’ to walk up.



Sarah explained to us she wanted everyone up at the top at the same time, so she wanted the slowest walkers in the front. I was a bit concerned about Francesca, so I made sure she was at the front of the pack. We also took our jackets off and put our sunglasses on, because we were about to walk into the sun. The 50 minute climb was pretty difficult, with snow and ice making the whole ordeal quite slippery. Some parts literally only allowed one person to pass at a time, and we slowly worked our way up to the top. The view in the meantime was absolutely gorgeous. We saw ourselves reach the height of the clouds, going up and over and saw the valley we had walked through earlier that day fading behind us. We also took in some great views of Mt. Ngauruhoe, far better known as Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings. The whole climb was steep - climbing from 1400 up to 1600 meters above sea level, but well worth it!



Arriving at the top we saw a huge plateau, a completely snow-covered flat called the South Crater which we were about to cross. This part was actually the hardest part of the hike for me. Being a big guy, and carrying all our gear I was too heavy for the snow to carry. At times I would sink through the surface, making this part quite annoying. Francesca stormed off in the distance obviously not bothered by her featherweight at all. At the end of the plateau we got to put our crampons on, because the next part of the hike would be even more difficult due to raging wind. Our guides guessed the wind was blowing at 50 to 60 kilometers (40 miles) an hour. We tested the crampons by running and jumping around on them.







The next part was the hike up to the Red Crater, the highest point of the hike with its 1886 meters. The wind around us made the going very slow, and our clothing was tested extensively. As long as we kept moving we weren’t really cold, but stopping was asking for shivers. Francesca was right behind Sarah once again and slowly, but steadily we moved up the narrow path. We literally needed our crampons and our poles to stay on our feet. The guides had explained we needed to take it one step at a time, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, making sure we weren’t standing on straps or laces. One wrong move would see you sliding back down all the way to the bottom. As people made their way up I slowly caught up with Francesca. She didn’t feel too comfortable climbing up this little ridge, so she had stopped. The other guide, Colin, caught up with Francesca and grabbed her by the arm. He sang ‘Hotel California’ for her to keep her moving. With this extra push we all made it to the top.





The clock had just hit noon, and we were all craving a bite. One girl succumbed to the cold due to sickness and turned back with Colin. Francesca and I were told to make it just a little further up to a place called the ‘hot spot,’ an area with a hot air vent that made lunch somewhat comfortable. Unfortunately, our guides only told us this after the facts, so we were sitting in the freezing cold. We managed to have a sandwich or two each, ate some chocolate and finished another bottle of water. Francesca enjoyed her nuts & raisins some more. At this point our guide had to decide whether we were going to keep walking towards the other side of the track, or turn back. She told us a snowstorm was headed our way and that there was no chance for us to continue our hike. The group was quite disappointed, but the prospect of zero visibility, being soaking wet and covered in snow did not sound too appealing. There we were, and thus we went back again.





Hurrah for another looong hike back! Francesca wasn’t too happy about going down the same steep ridge as before. We stayed behind with Sarah, who held her hand all the way down. I was right behind talking her through it, quite enjoying the slow walk down and taking quite a lot of good pictures. Everyone else was moving faster than us, but we just held our own pace, climbing down as good and bad as we could. We made it back to the South Crater and Sarah let us go on on our own. We chose to keep our crampons on, but they didn’t really help me that much. I still got stuck in the snow… When we made it back to the top of the Devil’s Staircase Sarah had caught up with us and we walked down together with her. This part was quite relaxing for both of us as we got to slide down some slopes. Francesca enjoyed the slides and we made good time.





In the mean time the rest of the group was waiting for us at the bottom. They had found a very high slide. Sarah pushed me to go ahead and climb up to slide all the way back down. Of course I wasn’t gonna let this pass, so there I went. I climbed up by myself, finding the whole ordeal quite tiresome. I actually ate some snow because I was so thirsty. I made it up to the top though, and got ready. I lifted my feet up and off I went! The snow sprayed in my face and I picked up a lot of speed. Good fun! I made it to the bottom and two of the guys we were with stopped me from hitting any rocks. Sarah was in charge of taking pictures, but since our camera failed she asked me to climb up again! I figured I’d just go halfway up and then pose there. I actually rested on my stomach there and then let go! This was even more fun! I ended up with snow pretty much everywhere, which was less comfortable, but oh well…









We packed up our bags again and continued our hike back to Mangatepopo car park. We knew we still had two hours ahead of us, even though the bones started feeling quite old at this point. We took it easy and hung in the back with Sarah, who kept us company part of the way. We discussed the hike and decided that we were happy we did it. It was another victory for Francesca who went outside of her comfort zone. Around 16:00PM we made it back to the car park. The guides handed out some free Sprite and we were brought back to the Lodge. My shoulders and feet hurt, and Francesca felt the same way about her ankles, so we took a bath and then jumped in the spa to relax our muscles. Felt sooo good!



If you want to read more about the crossing just have a look here: http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz; this site has some great information!

We got dressed an hour or two later for dinner. We knew we could share pumpkin pasta again across the street at the Park, which would be more than enough for the both of us. The pasta tasted fantastic after an exhausting experience like the Crossing. We sat around reading a magazine for a while and then returned to the Lodge for some sleep.

The next morning I woke up no longer 23… It was my birthday! Francesca jumped on top of sleepy me and congratulated me with my birthday. We relaxed most of that day, watching more Gossip Girl and making a reservation for dinner at a place called ‘The Station.’ Francesca had checked the Lonely Planet and found this was the only decent restaurant in town. ‘The Station’ is conveniently called so because it’s located right next to the railroad going through National Park. We got ready around 17:30PM. I put on my jacket and new tie and Francesca put on a pretty top.

We headed out around 18:15PM, quite hungry and ready for a good meal. We got free champagne to start off with and looked at the menu. I chose to get the chicken and Francesca picked the lamb. We were in for a real treat! Especially the lamb, with a fantastic stuffing, was delicious. My chicken wasn’t too bad either. When we were done with our main dishes I wanted to look at the desserts, but Francesca had a surprise ready for me. The waitress brought us a fantastic carrot cake that said ‘Happy 24th Henk.’ Awesome! And it tasted great too. I devoured my slice, but Francesca was beaten by her piece. We headed back to the Lodge after this and I got more presents! We fell asleep pretty early because we were to be picked up by the Stray-bus the next morning.





Thanks everyone for your happy birthday-wishes! They are all very much appreciated! I loved hearing from you all and enjoyed reading all your mails and comments. Thanks again!

The next morning saw us getting up around 08:00AM to finalize packing our bags and dragging them over to The Park, where the bus was waiting. We waved National Park goodbye and drove off towards the capital of New Zealand.