“Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life” – Marcus Aurellius
So recently I ticked off one of my ‘NZ Bucket List’ items by completing the Tongariro Crossing with a couple of friends.
There’s been a lot of unsettled weather here on the North Island these last few weeks, and so we really lucked out with the weather, enjoying a clear day and views all the way to Mount Taranaki in the West, and uninterrupted views of Mount Ngauruhoe (aka Mount Doom LOTR fans). Unfortunately the route up to the summit of Mount Ngauruhoe has been closed to trekkers but I think you’ll agree, the view from the bottom is still amazing.
The hike can be tough in parts, especially on the scree slopes (both ascending and descending) but easily doable, and we actually completed the full 19km in around 5 hours, which meant a lot of hanging about for our shuttle bus back to Taupo.
Personally I feel that there is something humbling (and a little lonely) about being among mountains, which helps me to become mindful of the here and now and put my life and daily concerns into perspective. So I took a little time out to practice a bit of mindful meditation near one of the summits on the route.
I thoroughly recommend this hike, and more information about trekking the Tongariro can be found here.
