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The Tongariro Crossing was pretty sick. Idk if I'd do it during the summer though. Luckily for me it was spring and there was plenty of snow and ice in spots so it wasn't really crowded. I personally was disappointed by how much they fucked with the trail though. Putting stairs in places I felt they should have, lots of stone etc. I guess it's to make it more accessible but IMO it lost some of that vibe. Still a nice trip. If I do it again I want to try and do the crossing plus Ngauruhoe and Tongariro in one trip. Was thinking about it because I hike fast but Ngauruhoe was in a fucking cloud and I didn't have crampons or an axe.
I'm thinking of doing the south island this summer. I'd like to hike mt cook and some other stuff. Would really be cool to hike that whole trail(can't remember the name) that goes top to bottom, I think the crossing is part of it. I never will though cause I'm a bitch.
Oh yeah I thought the crossing was pretty easy. It's about 20k, has some big elevation gain but nothing too wild and the path may as well be paves in spots.
NZ has tons of hiking (aka tramping in the bush) and I mean TONS, you can't go wrong with any.
Just a warning some of the more classic hikes, you have book way in advance and for hiking... they cost a decent amount of money. There is "in-season rates" and "out of season rates." They are strict about that shit and at shelters they have people checking to make sure you have permits (not all but a lot).
Here's a few:
- Mueller Hut (Mt. Cook)
- Greenstone Caples
- Routeburn
- Humpridge track
- Abel Tasman (This is an area, but tons of different hikes on beaches)
- Milford Track (This is the grand canyon of NZ ; gotta book way in advance for this one)
- Kepler
Rosa_ParkWait do you need a permit to just go hiking or is it to stay in a shelter??
You need a permit to use the shelters or camp outside. Camping outside is a tease since you are right there but are NOT allowed to go in to use kitchen ect.... It is cheaper though.
Some of the shelters are super super nice. One of the ones on Humpback had a freaking washer and dryer in it. You could also hire a hell service to carry your gear up for you hahaha. They are all bunk style with no pads or sleeping bags though.
I really think you could get away with no permits but I'm not what they would do if they caught you and you couldn't pay it. Also bad etiquette.
Fun fact: The tree above Bilbos house had all it's leaves glued on by workers. EVERY SINGLE ONE. When they burned down The Shire in the movie they really did it in real life. After they got the shot they re-did the tree, and re built the entire Shire. Peter Jackson is the definition of a perfectionist.
dingusand see the place where they filmed Lord of the Rings
They filmed it everywhere. Pretty cool to look up some of the filming locations online if you go there and realize some of the places where different parts were filmed are all around you.
I'm probably going to check out the hobbits if I go back.
