We set off from the Skotel very early in the morning as the tracking required a significant amount time and bearing in mind the fact that not all of us were used to mountaineering and might need additional time to complete it. I was clearly among those who not only were not prepared for long distance walking but was also not prepared as far as required shoes and clothing was concerned. I nevertheless managed to reach the base of the Tongariro mountain without too many problems, except for some pain on the base of the feet. Over a fair amount of time the landscape was rather greyish with specks of green here and there.
Decisions had to be made as to whether I would continue up the mountain or not but because our guide could not contact the driver of the organised tour to come and collect me, I opted to continue climbing till she could. I must confess I was happy she didn't get hold of him but when the most difficult part of the trekking was completed, because not only did I come across one of the most stunning landscape views I have ever seen, but also affirmed my willingness to "stay on the trekk".
Toilet complex blended with the colours of the surrounding landscape
The mineral tinted Emerald Lakes at the summit of the Mount Tongariro are an absolute beauty. Speechless is the best way to describe how I felt upon sighting them. The descent was rather slippery and a bit difficult for me because of not having the adequate shoes but I once more managed to reach the blue lake without too many problems.
Together with the guide we made a brief stop to have our cereal bar, the sandwishes and the fruit we had brought with us for our lunch break. The colours had dramatically changed from green to blue before we entered a varied and spectacular volcanic terrain.
I found the last part of the trekking to be more monotonous in terms of colours, despite the lake Rotoaira in the distance which brought a different "touch" to the overall scenary. Three of us (the guide included, once she walked behind the last one of the group) missed the bus we were supposed to have got on because a member of our group had a lot of walking difficulties in the last kilometres and Lindy and I tried to encourage him to reach the final point, which he eventually did.
As I got onto the bus I was feeling happy and simultaneously proud of what I had achieved. I had actually walked for about seven hours almost non stop (with the exception of the lunch break) and every minute had been worth it. Had I abandoned the trekk after two hours (as I had initially intended because I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it), and I would have missed this stunning landscape views.
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