Erin & Nate's World Trip

After finishing the Tongariro crossing (see next page for that new update), we headed down to Wellington for a night and then on to the Mt. Cook village. We had been crossing our fingers for the weather to cooperate, because Cook is often shrouded in clouds for days - not ideal if you have been dreaming of hiking up to a mountain hut on a nearby ridge.

We were lucky enough to have clear weather (quite windy, though), and upon arrival decided to jet up to the hut immediately. You never know when the weather is going to change for the worse, so grab the opportunity! The hike up is only three miles, but the 3000 foot elevation gain more than makes up for the short distance. After completing the climb, hikers then follow the ridge line for a half mile or so to the hut. The wind was howling down the valley (we'll attach a video for you to hear it), but the setting is alpine heaven: a literal cathedral of glaciers and mountains, with Mt. Cook as the altar.

Some brief history about the hut. The first hut was built in 1914 and the fifth hut (the most recent) was built in 2003, opened by Sir Edmund Hillary. The most recent hut cost $400,000 NZD to build and lots of helicopter trips to bring in the materials. The second hut was actually slid away by an avalanche and when skiers came by to stay in it, they discovered it off the cliff. To make a long story short, there have been multiple huts built because of the extreme alpine weather and conditions. When we were hiking up, we were sometimes on all fours to brace the strong winds.

The picture that we didn't take, but wished we would have....at the Mueller Hut, the longdrop (aka outhouse) is situated such that urine waste is dropped down since it does not detrimental to the alpine environment. #2, however, is flown away by helicopter. What does all this mean? When you sit on the pot, you have to sit forward for #1 and back for #2...quite interesting and they had some hilarious drawings in the longdrop (a man sitting all the way back with a caption that says, "Sit back to poo."

Definitely one of our top experiences over here - the scenery was unforgettable.

Compared to the other mountains in New Zealand, Tongariro National Park feels somewhat like a different planet. We decided to take part in one of NZ's most beloved day walks, otherwise known as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The ~19 km (12 miles) hike takes you across some pretty amazing scenery - volcanoes, craters, sulphuric lakes, etc. You stare at Ngurahoe (aka Mt Doom), while making the pilgrimmage with the other people on the walk.

The other pictures here are from our 5-day camp trip in the national park. Due to inclement weather, we had to wait it out to do the short day walk. Drying clothes gets creative when you're camping. Food? Well, we were creative with that as well since our backpacking stove has one setting - BOIL.