C'est LA viE

Yes, after the 18km whakapapa walk on last month, this time, another milestone: Tongariro crossing!

I was very confused whether go or not when sophie and sara asked me, and my biggest concern was the steepness of the track...

Then I was impressed by the motivation from the latest Japanese drama: Nankyoku Tairiku, starring Takuya Kimura, I will share more info about this drama sometimes later, it was a highly recommended drama!

Therefore, I made up my mind, and decided to challenge my boundary on hiking activities. I spent $$ for a brand new hiking shoes at Kahmandu, well, I think for life, it was worth!

Again this time, I left the organization to Sara and Sophie, but did point out some points they missed out. I checked the details of Tongariro online many times, and ya for your info:

Tongariro crossing is a well known, and one of the best track in NZ.

The whole distance is 17km, actually is shorter than Whakapapa walk, however the track covers valleys and hills, it roughly takes 7-9 hrs to complete the track. To note, there another 2 options on the top, which we can choose to climb up to Mt Ngauruhoe (for extra 3 hrs), or to Mt Tongariro (extra 1 hr). Tongariro crossing is a volcanic track, therefore the view along the track is magnificant!

More info: http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27

So move on to my trip, actually this time, I invited Shirley along as she just started her uni holiday, and there's an extra seat in the car, why not?

The plan was we will go there with 2 cars: first car: Sophie, Anne CC and Gaetan went to Taupo on Friday for trip, and would meet us at the start point (Mangatepopo car park) of the track on Sunday morning, the second car which is our car: Me, Shirley, Sara and Uma would go on Sat evening as we dont want to go Taupo, and we would parked our car at the end point (Ketetahi car park), and Gaetan will come to pick us up and back to the initial point and start our track.

Well, I actually love the plan, but something happened on our trip. We got convinced when we (I mean us, the 2nd car) went for pizza takeaways (for dinner) at Ohakune, the boss is also running shuttle for the tongariro crossing track, and she told us the pros and cons about getting our own transport to the car park. Well, Sara was worried about her car, fair enough, as she bought the car for her family trip, and she definitely cant afford ruining her car just because of the track.

Therefore, eventually we chose to go with the shuttle, but not the pizza's lady boss, was with our very friendly and kind backpacker's owners. The lovely couple were nice enough to wait for our decision and helped us with the shuttle booking when the shuttle company actually had off of their working time. However, I admitted that we really lack of communication with the first car (Sophie, Anne and Gaetan), we were trying to contact them, but the signal was so poor, and when we reached them, we were more like order rather than discuss. They also have no choice rather than follow our changing mind.

Anyway, they also come out with another backup plan, I can see why: 1. the shuttle fees; 2. the time to complete the track.

Yea, if we follow the shuttle, we must complete the track within 8 hrs, as if the shuttle left at 4pm (the last shuttle), there's none.

So their backup plan was, only Gaetan will come with us, and Sophie and Anne will start their track before us. At first I thought we will depart very early, cz the shuttle departed at 6 smthing, but eventually we only arrived the starting point around 7.30am...and I was very worried if I can complete the track before 4. Well, what to do, continue and give more effort!

I felt so grateful our backpacker owner borrowed us some tracking poles, although other didnt take it, but I did, and they really helpful! We started our track then, and I was kinda pissed at first when Gaetan forcefully gave a 1.5L water bottle to Uma to carry while Uma refused to and said is for everyone. Well I think eventually she also helped GAetan, poor Uma.

Then, very soon, we reached the first resting hut, and Gaetan decided to go to the hut to find Sophie and Anne, but Sara decided to continue, so we just left Gaetan with his water bottle which he passed to Uma before. Then we continued our walk and reached soda spring.

Well, I think soda spring scenary was soso, so we dint stop for long time. But, something I dint or probably sort of expected happened. Actually we met Sophie and Anne on the way to Soda spring, and Gaetan thought they were waiting him at the hut near the starting point, so means he made a mistake, and Sophie and Anne had to wait Gaetan then. Since we were tight in time, we decided to continue our track. Then Gaetan and them eventually also met us at Soda spring. Gaetan and Anne were so pissed off, and blamed us for not waiting them but continued our track, thus also blamming us not helping him carried his water bottle and claimed the water is for all of us. At this point I really didnt want to fight with them, but I was really pissed off, because everyone was carrying our own bottle, which was also 1.5L each person! SO I showed him my bottle, and said we have our own bottle, then he was speechless, and just stopped talking with us.

And I really felt sorry for Sophie, cz she was trapped btween the 2 groups of us. She also kept on apologized to us, and actually both of us have fault, there's no one to blame. So, we splited for the track. We continued walk, while Sophie them continue walk slowly and took more photos.

Then, we reached the devil stairs!

I finally understand why they claimed it as the devil staircases, it was so steep, so long, and so tiring...at some point I really think that I potentially got asthma and might relapse...LOL...Uma and Shirley were very patient to wait for me, well, they were gasping for air too. Then I still tried my best to climb another stairs as soon as possible and we met a old guy. He was asking us where we from, and last he threw a sentence towards us: " Just to let you know, I will be 60 tomorrow!"

Thanks!! This was really motivating!

And we reached South crater~

we decided to take a short break after we met devils at the stair case, we took muesli bar....and u see my new shoes?? =P

At the back is Mt Ngauruhoe, it is also the Mt Doom in the movie Lord of the rings, where the ring was being threw into the volcano, is the same moutain!! Well, but we had lack of time and equipment to challenge this moutain, but we decided to challenge Mt Tongariro.

we left our backpack under this sign, and yea, it was a relief!

The view at South crater was so awesome!

That's me, at the back was Red crater which we will challenge soon on our way back.  

and the track to Mt Tongariro....

I was very confused to continue my track up to the summit, first I am inconfident, afraid that I couldnt back to South crater in an hr, 2nd, the weather was really bad. Yes, it was very chilly on South crater, well we were getting higher and higher. And I totally gave up after this:

The track changed, or I should said, the snow was not fully melted yet, so the path began with snow....wow, I really gave up this time, well, U can said I am a chicken, and I admit that. As I didnt want to ruin my track, I didnt want to miss my shuttle, and I dint want to cause troublesome to others...

but eventually I walked a bit of the snow path....and then I met Uma and Sara, they were on their way back from the summit (So u can imagine how slow was me, how fast were them...). They said me and Shirley dint miss anything, as the top was very foggy and chilly, and more snow covered the summit, which they couldnt see anything. SO I kinda convinced myself that I made a right decision for not continue to the summit. We walked back to the south crater...

Then we had lunch at south crater, then continued our track up to red crater.

Then, another nightmare began....my nightmare: the descent from the red crater!

Yes, since the last walk at whakapapa, I knew that walking down is my biggest limitation, I am not good with it as my balance was really bad even though I am a libra....=P

It was so steep, steepest than the whakapapa, the difference was it was not that rocky, the path was soft. I knew that because I fall twice!

Yea, another foreigner was giving me tips to walk down, but I am not that fit as him, so I still fall, and walked very very slowly. The view surrounding me when walking down was amazing, I passed old lava flow and crater lakes, but sorry, I was so scared that I might die because of 1 mistakened step, I dint have time to enjoy the view.....  but Sara took photos:

there were like 2 lakes along the descent, and lava flow as well, so we could smell the sulfur dioxide...

If u thought that our journey nearly end, u were wrong. There's another easy climb to ketetahi hut, yes was easy compared with the devil staircases. We walked over the snowy path again~

We walked so slow (I mean Shirley and me), so we had to took photo by ourselves, look at the view surrounding us!

someone made a little cute snowman!

see how huge was the area covered by snow!

and I really exhausted after I reached top, so sat down for a while...=P

Then another challenge again....

more snowy path come, but this one still alright, look at the next one....

scary right!!Dont play play ya ^^ The path was so narrow, so slipery, one missed step, I would row down to the valley....  

Then we met the second snowman...

Actually we spent so much time on taking the photos with snowman, (not me, someone just have high demand on photo shooting =S), well, Sara and Uma were so far ahead, and we were left behind at middle of no where...

but finally we see some view not covered with snow!

Then, was all about walking back, you can see the track was wide and smooth, very easy to walk after we walked up to summit and down to valley. I had no much time to take photos this stage cz we were running out of time, we need to get back to final point before 4, so we were so rushed at this stage, then finally we met sara and uma back at the ketetahi hut, as well as sophie and Gaetan.

Well, no time left, we continued our walk, and when we thought we nearly finished, we saw a sign.

To ketetahi car park, 45min.....and we looked at our watch, it was 3.15pm, and remember the last shuttle will be depart at 4pm....which means??

We have to rush, very rush!!

Sara directly speed up, and left us so far behind, and me too, speed up, regardless how exhausted I was, and how slow I was before, I speed up as well, and leading Uma and Shirley on the way back to car park.

Keep note that this was a one way track, I had no idea how the track looks like, we walked into the bush, and they looked alike. At one point, we dint see anyone, and we passed stairs and bridges which looked like the one we passed before. GOSH, I really afraid we might lost in the jungle, and I really dunno how far I could stand.

Finally we met some people, and they said about 20mins back to car park, and yes, we had 20min left to 4. I really dont want miss the shuttle, so keep on....

Finally, finally, we back to car park, we saw sara waiting for us! Thank god, the shuttle not here yet, we managed!!

As soon as we sat down, thinking to drink a mouthful water, the shuttle arrived! Wow, we were so on time!

The sign at the end point!

Cool, it was a relief, it was an achievement! I was proud of myself, although abit shameful dint reach tongariro summit....anyway, I glad that I made it!

p/s: my ear was stucked, and I felt very uncomfortable, I think I am getting sick soon.....