Tongariro crossing

Today I performed the Tongariro crossing, one of NZs great walks and one of the most spectacular day walks in the world.  I woke at 445 to get my car to the endpoint by 530.  I then made breakfast and awaited the shuttle bus which took me to the start point.  It was a chill morning. This walk winds between Tongariro and Nagaruhoe ( mount doom) and is 12 miles and took me 6 hours, but I am a little bit fit.  I believe truly fit kiwis do it in 5 or less.  I started in the first pack of 10 and was passed by about 20 more. I started walking at 7 and didn't really stop.  I had to climb up the mountain about 1000m which is hard work.  There were good steps in some places and sometimes you were just scaling a steep walkway.  As I ascended life became colder.  Unfortunately at the top, nearest mount doom the fog descended limiting vis to 10m and less.  It was just above freezing, like 3c.  I waded through the soup and came out in time for a great pic from top down, taken by a nice Korean kid who had been waiting 30 mins for the fog to clear. It was so cool to see a volcano that was active in 1895, 1975 and 2012 and how all the lava floes aged.  I took at least 500 pics.  NZ has rocks!  Wow I will post them later, the walk was an experience and not to be done by anyone not physically fit.  You can even climb mount doom but I was cold and vis was nil so I was uninterested.  Actually once I reached the summit all I was thinking was down.  OK after that I was beat, so I cruised towards Taupo city alongside lake Taupo which is a huge lake 70 km north south.  It is freshwater and clean.  I was dirty after my climb and wanted a shower, but it was too early to stop at a camper park.  I therefore devised a plan which was immediately successful.  I found a public park that was unoccupied and also had a little clear stream, stripped naked, grabbed soap and hopped in.  That water was above freezing, like 8c or so.  OMG but damn I was clean and then dry in 5 minutes, and not arrested for public nudity, this time at least.
Refreshed I drove north into Taupo and viewed huka falls, a very pretty sight.  I then went north to a flood area but they didn't flood it, winter hours bugger! It is supposed to be really cool, but I can't bat 1000. This is where the hobbit river rafting scene was filmed. Another interesting thing about Taupo, is it wasn't always a 70km long and wide lake.  It exploded out of the earth 2000 years ago, and the romans marked the month the skies went gray.  In this country you really feel the power of earth, and I have been thinking all day of the power of volcanism.  I might have another god that I might worship other than the sea.

Anyway I was not interested in the rest of Taupos delights so I drove another hour to routarua which is a thermal place.  There is steam rising everywhere and hot pools and nobody will notice if and when I fart because it already smells terrible. Anyway I found my way downtown and it is a lovely city that smells so bad.  I had a great Indian dinner then drove off to an area near a public bathroom to spend the night. There is steam rising from the waters all around me, and the car is sealed tight against the stench and bugs. Tomorrow I want a hot bath and more pictures, but I don't want to walk more than a km!
Cheers
Mike S