Tongariro Crossing- WOW.

Congratulations New Zealand, you have officially WOW-ed me. Today I hiked the Tongariro Alpine crossing, named "the best day walk in the world", and I have to vouche for it; I am absolutely blown away.

I was a little scared going into the day because I had such high expectations for the walk. And as we rode to the beginning, everything was shrouded in mist and rain, so I thought, "great. I'm going to hike for 8 hours in a cloud and see nothing at all." And there were SO MANY PEOPLE on the trek that I thought I was going on a school field trip. And the first part of the walk, called "Devils staircase", nearly did me in. I consider myself a pretty fit person, but it was HARD. But then, as soon as we reached the red crater, the sky opened up and there I stood, in the middle of a fucking humongous crater, next to the snow capped Mount Doom (Not actually called mount doom but I cannot remember how to spell the name). It was AWESOME. And awesome meaning...I was actually in Awe, mouth agape, starting dumbfounded at the scene before me. And as I walked, I felt like Frodo and Samwise, half expecting Gollum to pop out of one of the volcanic rocks.

I know I have been cynical throughout this blog about tourism in New Zealand, but I can honestly say that this was, by far, the most amazing scenery I have ever experienced. I hiked all the way up the summit of Mount Tongariro and ate a banana at the top. I was alone, just me and this incredible scene before me, and I realized that I had finally found the New Zealand I had been looking for; no tourists, no Scuba Guides, no Base Hostel or Kiwi Experience- Just nature. And as I walked, I am sure that the others around me were wondering why I had such a shit eating grin on my face the whole time, even after 5 hours of agonizing climbing. I cannot even begin to describe the picture-esque things I saw...Craters the color of Mars, Lakes the color of Emeralds, Steaming hot pools and springs, volcanic Rock formations and reminants of the Pyroclastic flow that rushed down the mountain...it was absolutely incredible. Pictures will not come close to doing it justice.

I have a small fetish with Volcanos I think. The feeling of being somewhere that could erupt at a moments notice is dangerously exciting. And the smell of sulfur, however unpleasant, makes you aware of how alive the earth is. And knowing that a few hundred meters below you is a substance that is so hot it actually melts rock and can destroy any reminantns of life in a second is so powerful. And they can change the entire earth's climate with a single eruption. And they leave behind some of the most beautiful craters. I could go on and on. But my internet is about to run out, so I'll spare you more about volcanoes, and end with TODAY WAS AWESOME.