Tongariro Crossing Guide

Hey guys, as promised on my Instagram, I’m back with my Tongariro Crossing Guide. 

During 6 weeks in New Zealand, we did A LOT of hiking. I absolutely love hiking and it is one of my favorite past times. I’ll describe New Zealand as one big hiking trail (partly because of the lack of public transport, haha).

Following up from my Auckland post, a good few people have asked about the hiking in New Zealand and specifically, about the home of well known Mount Doom (from Lord of the Rings) hike – The Tongariro Crossing. So I’ve put together this guide for everything you need to know, bring and do for the Tongariro Crossing. 

Need To Know 

• This is a hard hike, but not so hard that you can’t do it!
• 19.4K one way & takes about 6-8 hours
• It is beyond beautiful!
• Have to start early in the morning
• Helicopter flying around all day, so in case of injury there is emergency help

Need to Plan/Schedule Before

1. Bus to drop/collect – You don’t want to do it only halfway & miss the other side (approx $30 for a bus)… and, you do not have to worry about parking space if you book a bus. You can find out more info and book here.
2. Choose the day – make sure to check the weather beforehand because it is much too dangerous to do this on a bad weather day, and you certainly will not enjoy it in a lashing rain, lighting & thunderstorm. We were so lucky that the weather was beautiful on the day we did it, but this also meant there were A LOT of others doing it too.
3. Make sure you have all your supplies (check out the packing list below)

Packing List:

• First off I’d suggest bringing a backpack… if there are two of you maybe you can bring one backpack between you
• Jacket (it’s cold at the top!)
• Plenty of water (2Liters Per person)
• Tissues (bathrooms don’t have tissue most of the time )
• Camera/s –  if you like taking pictures make sure you have your camera & selfie sticks etc (bring a smaller camera if possible)
• Phone & portable charger – you will have signal only for the first hour or two
• A sweat towel, if you can fit it
• Packed lunch & lots of snacks
• Imodium/Acetazolamide, or whatever you use for nausea
• Hiking Poles/Stick – it’ll come in handy.
• Sunscreen & insect repellent
• Chapstick (I suggest Carmex -my fave-)

What to Wear:

• T-shirt/exercise top
• Girls –  wear a sports bra!
• Leggings or shorts – note that full trousers can be a bit too warm at the bottom and shorts will be a little chilly at the top. I wore leggings and I was happy but David wore full-length trousers and was absolutely boiling in them and regretted it so much, haha.
• Highly recommend wearing a good pair of hiking boots!
  Suggested: Woman’s hiking boots here | Men’s hiking boots her

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During

• Make sure to stay hydrated, drink that water you brought!
• Make sure to take in the beautiful views, but don’t linger too long and end up adding hours to your journey! 
• Keep track of how far you’ve come – are you nearing the end? Make sure you know what times your driver is picking up!
• Take lots of pictures – make good use of that camera! 
• Stay on the track!
• If you have any injuries or falls, make sure to contact your driver or flag down help. You should not continue on if you are seriously in pain or injured. 
• ENJOY it and take in all of the beautiful views! 

After

REST!!! Make sure you get a good feed into your belly, shower if you can, and make sure to give yourself an easy day the following day. The feeling of accomplishment is pretty good! 

If you are injured in any way be sure to seek medical attention straight away. 

xoxo
Elizabeth

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PACKING LIST INFOGRAPHIC: 

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