Tongariro Northern Circuit

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.  When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.” (Epictetus)

Due to unforeseen circumstances, not to mention ferry crossing issues our South Island adventure was cancelled.  With the above quote on our minds, Yvonne and I sort out an adventure closer to home.

When we were hiking the southern circuit of Ruapehu we chatted about doing the Tongariro northern circuit sometime in the future and it’s on my bucket list.  So, after a short telephone conversation we decided to do it provided we could get hut bookings – we didn’t want to carry tents.  A quick search online revealed there were a couple of vacancies in each hut on consecutive nights hiking the circuit in reverse to what is promoted.  So here we are.

Day 1: Whakapapa – Waihohonu Hut – 15.4 kms

What a stunning day, the sky is blue and clear of clouds.  The mountains look regal and majestic.  Am I lucky or what?  These were my thoughts as I drove up towards Whakapapa Village.

It was Tuesday 7th March 2023 and Yvonne and I had arranged to meet at Whakapapa Village at 10 am to start our hike to Waihohonu Hut. The first hut on our northern circuit adventure.

With our cars parked, and packs on we were eager to be moving.

Over the last couple of years, we have become familiar with this track, so there was no issue of wondering where we were going and what lay ahead.

The time and kilometers quickly passed as we chatted – catching up on each other’s lives and events since our last adventure.   We passed many overseas visitors hiking up to the Tama Lakes, and many hikers completing their final leg of the northern circuit.  Sometimes we would stop and chat and other times we walked past each other with just a friendly “good morning” or “hello”.

We would stop often and ‘mentally absorb’ the environment, and voice our gratitude for making this adventure happen and that our bodies are up to the task, so to speak.

Arrival at the hut is always welcome, no matter how far or hard the hike is.  There were a variety of people (a variety of ages) sitting outside on the wooden seats & tables on the decking enjoying the afternoon sun, sharing food, and appreciating the environment.

We knew the hut was full, would we be lucky enough to get a bottom bunk bed?  No.  We like bottom bunk beds because they’re easier to get out of for that nighttime visit to the toilet.  We don’t really like having to climb down and up the wooden ladder in the dark and not make any noise.    Never mind, you quickly learn to get over minor disappointments.  With packs unpacked and our bunks claimed we were soon enjoying our much-appreciated cup of soup with a snack and reflecting on our day.

To help pass the time before dinner I spent time splitting wood for the log fire.  There was a large wooden splitting block, plenty of dry wood, and two axes to choose from.  This time I managed to use the heavy long-handle splitting axe,  and within a short time had a pile of kindling etc, for whenever it may be needed.   I try and pay it forward, knowing that someone in the future would appreciate the split wood.

We spent an enjoyable evening chatting with a variety of people.  Discussions around gear and food choices (always popular), previous trips, where they come from, and who they may know.

Each hut (on any NZ Great Walk) has a hut warden and they give a little talk each evening about the hut, hut rules, weather forecasts etc. Our hut warden Drogean was from Canada.  In the afternoon we heard him playing his ukulele, which sounded beautiful in this alpine environment.  We did notice the next morning as he walked back to his quarters bare-chested that he’d been for a swim in the nearby Waihohonu stream!!

Day 2:  Waihohonu Hut – Oturere Hut – 8.1 kms

We woke to another beautiful day – clear blue skies and in the distant Mts Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe looking grand and regal. I know I say it a lot, but it’s truly a magnificent environment to be in – I always feel so small and inconsequential (in a good way).

Mornings in the huts are always a ‘hive of activity’, with people eating their breakfasts, packing their backpacks, and trying to get out the door.

Today we would be having a short day and both Yvonne and I were determined to “savour” our journey to Oturere Hut. By that, I mean to take our time, stop and admire the views and landscape and “be present”.

This track was my favourite (on this trip).  It sidled around the foothills of Mt Ngauruhoe. We hiked through beech-clad valleys, open gravel/sand fields, low tussock, and a couple of rocky ascents and descents – nothing trickly.

To the east, we could see the Kaimanawa Ranges and Desert Road.  We saw large trucks moving along SH1 which is bordered by large pylon power lines.  It provided an unusual contrast to the remote, far-from-anywhere feeling of the track where we were.

It was a busy track we passed twenty-seven people (a variety of ages and nationalities) going towards Waihohonu hut.

Oturere hut

When we arrived at the Oturere Hut Danielle (hut warden) was still sweeping the large outside wooden deck. She apologised profusely for not having done “the housework” – it certainly didn’t bother us.

We off-loaded our packs onto the decking.  Took our boots off and slipped our feet into our open-aired sandals before sitting down at one of the two wooden seats outside to enjoy a hot drink and eat our much-needed lunch while Danielle finished her morning chores.  We felt very lucky to be enjoying this stunning day.  And, we got to pick what we thought were the best bunk beds.  Oh, life is good!

We spent the afternoon chilling out, reading, and resting.  We explored the waterfall over the ridge where we enjoyed a much-needed wash and felt refreshed clean, and hopefully not smelly.

Unexpected visitors from Uruguay

Life is full of unexpected happenings.  At about 4.30 pm eight Uruguayans turned up at the hut wanting to know where the nearest road was.  They had no idea where they were and had run out of water and food.  To cut a long story short they are on a 16-country world tour.  New Zealand was their first country.  They had decided to do the Tongariro Crossing coming up from the Kiwitahi Springs side (in Uruguay the highest point is 514 m).  When they got to Emerald Lake eight people decided they weren’t going to climb “up the volcano” as they called it (Red Crater – just under 1888 m and it’s quite a steep climb on scoria). Three people turned back and returned to where they started and to their car.  Somehow these eight people took the wrong turn and hiked down to Oturere hut where we were.

After much discussion, (thankfully there were three Argentians at our hut and one of them could speak their language and English).  They were given food from other hikers, they filled their water bottles, and the hut warden told them to return the way they had come.  They were not happy but there weren’t any other options.  They did wonder if a helicopter could be called in to help out – yeh right!!!  As a side point, they were catching the Interislander ferry the next day at 3 pm.

We assumed they must have got back safely as there were no reports of missing hikers.

After that excitement, we settled down to an uneventful night in the full hut.

Day 3:  Oturere Hut – Mangatepopo Hut 12 kms

We were determined to get an early start this morning as we didn’t want the hassle of countless hikers coming down the steep scoria-covered Red Crater ridge line while we were trying to navigate our way up.

Looking to the east it was a beautiful sunrise, with a chill in the air.   To the west were low clouds obstructing views of surrounding ridges.  Before we started Yvonne put on her leggings, raincoat, and gloves.  I wore my leggings and two merino tops and gloves. We were expecting wind and rain sometime later in the day.

Climbing up to Red Crater

Hiking from the hut to Emerald Lake was not at all what we expected.  The landscape was mainly flat with the track winding through unusual jagged lava forms from early eruptions from Red Crater.  There was a steep ascent up to Emerald Lake which required careful foot placement. By this time and the wind had increased in velocity and we were starting to feel “droplets of sunshine”.

We were both thankful that when we last visited this area it was perfect, but not so today!  It was too cold to stop for any length of time, so we pushed on and made slow and steady progress upwards.  All the time the wind was getting stronger.  I was starting to get wet and cold, and my inner voice was telling me to “stop and put on oraincoat”, which I did once I had found a large boulder to rest my pack on.  I was so relieved I did as when we got to the top the wind was so strong both Yvonne and I felt frightened that we’d get blown over.  We just wanted to get down asap.  It wasn’t quite that easy. By this time numerous day hikers were coming up toward us and there wasn’t a lot of room to pass each other safely.  We kept focused and slowly made our way down to the southern crater.

What did surprise us was how many people were poorly dressed for the conditions.  We did notice some people making the decision to turn around and try another day – the weather conditions were that bad.

As we hiked across the Southern Crater it was difficult to see (heavy mist) the next orange marker pole.  We had to follow footprints on the ground.  Oh, the relief when we saw dark shadows of people appearing in the distance to reassure us we were walking in the right direction.

Finally, we got to a place out of the wind, and we stopped for a quick bit to eat. My hands were so cold I could hardly take my wet gloves off.  Mental note to myself, those gloves are not suitable for wet cold weather.

As we descended down the Mangatepopo Valley we saw (in the distance) smoke coming out of the Mangatepopo hut chimney – always a good omen.  It turned out that the last of the wood supply was currently being burnt.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a cold night.

After choosing our bunk, we boiled our billy for that much-needed and appreciated hot cup of soup and snack.

Fortunately, the sun came out for a short time and we were able to get our gear dry by laying it out on the wooden decking.  We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and chilling out with other hut guests.  It is always interesting hearing their stories.

Another full hut in the night, minus a hut warden (apparently, there’s not enough funding for a permanent warden at this hut).

Day 4:  Mangatepopo Hut – Whakapapa Village – 9.4 kms

We awoke to rain and low cloud – couldn’t see any surrounding mountains or ridgelines.  We were thankful that rain and poor visibility was not going to be an issue for us – we were heading back to Whakapapa village.

As we were about to leave the hut two DOC employees turned up and advised us all  “not to attempt the Tongariro crossing today” because of the weather conditions.  And that our route (back to the village) would be muddy and to allow extra time.  We left the hut before hearing whether people decided to do the crossing or not.  The DOC employee said, “if they choose to do the crossing and require to be rescued, it doesn’t cost them anything as the rescue service is funded by donations.”  He went on to say “they would be strongly encouraged to be generous in their donation.”

Track conditions

We had heard from several people complaining about the condition of the track we were about to hike.  But as we are coming more aware, it depends on your perspective of what is a ‘terrible track’ or not.  We zipped along (slowly projecting downhill) without any issues.  Sure there was the odd scramble and clamber but generally, it was pretty good compared to many other tracks we have travelled.

Seeing the Chateau signaled the end of another successful adventure.  I felt it was over all too soon.

We changed into dry clothes and made a dash to the food cart at the entrance of the camping ground in Whakapapa village.  Nothing more satisfying than a good coffee and something hot to eat.  Feeling happy and contented we reflected on our adventure.

Thank you Yvonne for your company and companionship – another great adventure!

If you have hiked the northern circuit I would love to hear your reflections.  Till next time, take care out there GoldCard Gal 🙂

Additional Information

Northern Circuit Great Walk Huts

During the winter months of 1 May – 22 October, there are reduced facilities at the huts.  Otherwise, all huts have gas, solar power, and a log fireplace, usually with firewood supplied.  Overseas visitors pay more than us Kiwis for accommodation.

Additional scenes