LOVE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS

Established in 1887, Tongariro National Park is the second oldest in the world, after Yellowstone in the United States. The park's three peaks, Mounts Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu were a gift to New Zealand from the local Maori tribe who saw it as the only way to preserve an area of spiritual significance. With towering active volcanoes, the park is truly spectacular and perhaps better known as Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But many years ago, there was another mountain nearby ...

Maori history recalls how Mt Taranaki once lived with other mountain gods - Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe. Nearby stood the lovely maid Pihanga with her cloak of deep green forest, and all the mountain gods were in love with her. What had been a long and peaceful existence for the mountain gods was disturbed when Taranaki could no longer conceal his feelings and dared to make advances to Pihanga. A mighty conflict between Tongariro and Taranaki ensued, which shook the foundations of the earth. The mountains belched forth their anger and darkness clouded the sky. When peace finally came to the land, Tongariro, considerably lowered in height, stood close by Pihanga's side. Taranaki, wild with grief and anger, tore himself from his roots with a mighty wrench and left his homeland. Weeping, he plunged recklessly towards the setting sun, gouging out the Whanganui River as he went and, upon reaching the ocean, turned north. While he slumbered overnight, the Pouakai Range thrust out a spur and trapped Taranaki in the place he now rests. When covered with a veil of mist and rain, Taranaki is said to be weeping for his lost Pihanga and it is said to be unwise to live along the path between the two mountains as one day, Taranaki will return to Pihanga ...

We were up at 5.30am to meet Carol, Dave, Finlay and Tessa at Turangi to catch a bus to Mangatepopo to the start of the Tongariro Crossing. An 18km walk over dramatic landscapes, this is known as the finest one-day walk in all of New Zealand and thousands accomplish this challenging trek every year. The route would take us up the Mangatepopo Valley to Soda Springs, climbing the Devils Staircase to the saddle between Mts Tongariro and Nguaruhoe. The track would then level out as it crossed over the middle of the South Crater then climb again from the base of the Red Crater to the summit of Tongariro. This would be the highest point of the trek which would then drop down a loose scree slope to the Emerald Lakes - here the track is inside the Central Crater and leads to the Blue Lake before descending around the northern face of Tongariro, down the Rotopaunga Valley to the Ketetaki hut then down further through a steaming tussocky landscape and finally into a podocarp forest before finishing at a large clearing where the bus would pick us up.

We set out at 8.15am, wrapped up against the cold. Frost and ice sparkled om the mosses and streams up to Soda Springs which was a fairly flat walk of about an hour. We stopped a couple of times to dip into the huge bag of lollies (sweets) that filled Geraint's rucksack. The Devils Staircase lived up to its name. From the bottom, the people snaking their way towards the top looked absolutely tiny and the task before us monstrous! A couple of stops to catch breath and take photos and we were at the top, glad to have it under our belts. The walk across South Crater was very flat but eventually we started our last big ascent of the day up the side of Red Crater ridge which was amazing. The rock formations and colours were spectacular and fumaroles puffed away on the slopes into the crater beside us. We stopped for lunch just before the summit - coats zipped up to the hilt and hats on against the cold wind. The final ascent to the summit was very dramatic with steep drops on either side and it was a very good feeling to make it to the top. The view down the other side was breathtaking - the Emerald and Blue Lakes looking like tiny jewel-coloured pools in the distance below. It was a slow descent for some and a lot quicker for others who were confident to slip and slide down the loose scree slope. The walk past the lakes in the Central Crater was flat with a short climb out, passing a solidified, relatively recent flow of lahar which is a thick slurry formed when volcanic ash and debris mix with water from melting snow and ice on the flank of a volcano. Then the descent. We zig-zagged for mile after mile through tussocks dotted with steaming vents, stopping for a chunk of chocolate before reaching the trampers hut where we refilled our water bottles for the last two hours down the mountainside and through acres of forest, being followed by fantails and robins. Eventually we reached the clearing in the woods at 4.00pm - it had taken almost eight hours but if felt so good!

On the way home we called into the hot thermal pools at Tokaanu, where we slowly slid into the lovely hot baths, savouring every second of the delicious feeling of being enveloped in the soothing water. I bet that Taranaki heard our ohh's and ahh's miles away on the coast.