The Tongariro Crossing. A walking trip definitely worth taking.
My husband and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary by doing an activity together. Nothing like a day hike to ensure that we do some bonding. We booked an Airbnb and drove down on the Saturday with a return planned on the Monday. Hurray for annual leave!
To be expected we had an early night and drove to the end of the track (Ketetahi Entrance) where we were picked up by a bus that took us to the start of the track.
Already pre-warned about the temperature (it snowed the day before!) I was still under-prepared. So, take it from me, here’s a list of everything that I didn’t take and needed: long leggings, beanie and gloves.
Prior to driving down from Auckland for the hike, when I heard that we had new Isobar coming out I grabbed Noemie, our buyer for this range and said, “Show me what you’ve got!”. So for the duration of the hike I tested out the Scoop Neck Short Sleeve Top in Black, the Coverup Long Sleeve Top in Grey and the Merino Zip Through Cardigan in cherry (plus the addition of my Michelle Bridges 3/4 leggings – similar).
All made from merino, so very warm and super soft! Traditionally wool is sometimes itchy because of its coarse fibers that push into your skin but Isobar merino fibers are lightweight so that they don’t irritate your skin so no itching or prickling. The best feature during the walk (given that I forgot my gloves) were the little thumb holes on the cherry cardigan. Practical and stylish.
My husband was a little bit suspicious of the cherry cardigan. Yes, it’s really bright but I loved how it’s such a stand out colour. If you’re going to hike you might as well do it in style.
The Tongariro Crossing itself: personally I thought it was really easy. We boosted through it in 6 hours. Along the way there were loads of different people walking; a family with a 6 month old baby, people with hiking sticks, a lady carrying a handbag and many others who took the hike at their own pace.
The beauty of the walk is that you can go at your own speed, there’s always people around so you feel safe, the scenery is stunning and of course who walk with helps!
Final thoughts: Amazing! My body was a bit sore for the next two days and I got a little bit sunburnt on my nose. No negatives, only positives! Completing it just reaffirmed that New Zealand is beautiful and it’s best to get out there and enjoy it.
MY PHOTO JOURNAL
Have you done the Tongariro Crossing? What did you think? Have you done any other walks you can recommend? Let us know in the comments below.
