Franz Josef Glacier

location: Franz Josef Glacier (Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere in Maori) in the Southern Alps
distance: approx 4 miles

Franz Josef glacier

description: prior to this trip, Andy had never seen a glacier up close and since both the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers are readily accessible from the west coast highway on the South Island, we knew we'd have an opportunity to get a good look at them. when my parents visited New Zealand more than a decade a go, they took a helicopter to the top of the glacier for the opportunity to walk on the surface. based on our travel plans, we opted to hike to the base of the glacier from the car park.

ever keen to avoid the worst of crowds, we inquired with our hostel host as to the best time to hit the trail and, based on her recommendation, arrived about 6:30 to find ourselves the only car in the carpark. we didn't see anyone else until after we were on our return journey - solitary enjoyment of the glacier: wonderful!


the track cuts pretty straight through the glacial valley, following the course of the Waiho River at a safe distance. unlike the Fox Glacier, you can see most of Franz Josef from quite a distance; it offered great views but also illustrated how much the glacier has retreated over time. when tourists started coming to see it in the late 19th century, the glacier filled much of the valley that we spent more than 30 minutes crossing in the early 21st century. in the 20th century, even with periodic advances made due to favorable weather conditions, both Franz Josef and Fox glaciers have retreated some 2.5 kilometers.

view down the valley towards the Tasman Sea

the final few hundred meters climb steeply to afford views of the glacial face, past an ice cave that I'm sure guided and foolhardy unsupervised tourists alike explore on occasion. the end of the track was about 200 meters from the end of the glacier itself, with access restricted beyond due to changing conditions and potential instability. from up close, my overwhelming impression was that Franz Josef makes a more spectacular sight at a distance. the size of the nearby mountains somewhat dwarf the glacier, some 12 kilometers long from the neve to terminal face that we approached. moreover, the face was largely covered with rock debris, giving it a gritty appearance and making it somewhat hard to distinguish from the surrounding mountainsides.

despite the underwhelming aspects, it was very special and awe-inspiring to observe the glacier without other people milling about and without the sound of helicopters spiriting people up to the top of the glacier.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Ngauruhoe from below Soda Springs

location: Tongariro Alpine Crossing from Mangatepopo to Ketetahi carpark
distance: approximately 22 miles
highest elevation: 1886m at Red Crater

description: upwards of 80,000 trampers take on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing each year. many claim it as one of the best day hikes in New Zealand - if not the world. after waiting a day for the weather to clear, we were anxious to get out on the track. as were many others. while presumably passable during snowier seasons with crampons and proper cold-weather hiking gear, one must assume most people make the trek in "better" weather.

after a 30 minute bus ride, we set off from the Mangatepopo carpark in the company of the dozen people in our vehicle plus another busload or so from other tour operators. the first two hours or so found us wending our way up the gradually inclining, well-maintained trail like a line of ants. the glacial-carved valley of Mangatepopo has been filled in by numerous lava flows and is now covered by the limited vegetation that can survive on those flows. the low clouds and moderate temperature made this portion of the walk almost cozy and offered wonderful views, even if we couldn't see the tops of either Tongariro or its companion Ngauruhoe.

once we passed the pit stop at Soda Springs, however, the track steepened dramatically; 340 meters straight up to the South Crater. we're used to climbs and long hikes and generally keep a pretty good pace that allows us to plug ahead without stopping. as we climbed above Soda Springs, the crowds began to thin out with some people surging ahead then forced into resting 500 meters along the path. a handful of groups kept leapfrogging us, including a pair of European teenagers taking breaks for photos and to put on more appropriate footwear or headgear; and a young South American couple whose varied heights may have accounted for their stopping and starting.

view of lava flow, descending from Red Crater

once we reached the South Crater visibility came down significantly. the snow cover started shortly after leaving Soda Springs and didn't let up until well past Blue Lake on the other side of the mountain. it was easy to see how Julia DeWitt lost her way and nearly fell into a crater trying to do the crossing at night. a series of poles marks the way across the South Crater, but even with the relatively mild weather we had, it could be hard to see more than a few ahead of us. the climb out of the crater was much harder; slick and uncertain in places with gusty winds buffeting you about in exposed places. Andy came to the aid of a young Irish woman who was having the Worst Day Ever, and spotted her up the trail until we were out of the crater.

reaching the saddle brought a delightful sense of accomplishment, though the low visibility and biting wind tamped down on that a bit. we had neither the time nor the inclination (again, see: weather) to try for either summit and after a few minutes savoring the accomplishment, struck off down the steep, loose tephra to the Emerald Lakes, across the South Crater (which, technically, is a valley rather than crater, as with the South Crater) and up past Blue Lake. just beyond Blue Lake you enter the "active volcano zone" with warning signs posted prominently, though no flashing light as featured at the trailhead in Mangatepopo carpark.

vents at Te Maari crater

from the sign, the trail continues steadily downward, with views in the direction of Lake Taupo and the steaming vents of Te Maari. the track passes the now day-use-only Ketetahi shelter (damaged by the Te Maari eruption of 2012), over flows from that eruption, through podocarp-hardwood forest and along a stream polluted with minerals from Ketetahi springs. as with other hikes, after the hours of mountain climbing, the trek through the forest seemed to go on much longer than anticipated and while we weren't tapped out like many others appeared at the carpark shelter, we were glad to sit for a spell while awaiting transport.

while making the crossing on a clearer day would have been incredible, I am very thankful that we decided to stick around and make the trek; absolutely worth it.

Lake Rotopounamu

location: Lake Rotopounamu
distance: approx 3 miles

description: one downside to hiking in shoulder seasons: weather. I planned for two nights in National Park to bookend a hike over the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but weather prevented us from completing the hike on the intended day - forecast for snow and gale force winds overnight arrived as promised and meant we wouldn't have wanted to leave in the morning anyway. fortunately, our schedule accommodated a slight delay and we adjusted plans accordingly.

while overnight and early morning weather proved inhospitable, the weather cleared up by midday - and we didn't waste the opportunity to stretch our legs on one numerous alternate hikes in the area. after lunch at a retro diner in Turangi and a trip back to Taupo to find reasonably-priced hats for our alpine crossing, we pulled off the road to go in search of Lake Rotopounamu at the foot of Mt. Pihanga.

the trek proved much more of a walk than a hike by our standards, but pleasant all the same. the track circled Lake Rotopounamu (greenstone lake) at the northwest foot of Mt Pihanga, which we caught a good view of from north of Taupo the previous day. in Maori myth, Pihanga was pursued by several suitors (also mountains) who fought for her affection; the vanquished moved away to other parts of the North Island, while victorious Tongariro remained at her side. when volcanic Tongariro smokes, it is a sign of his anger towards the last challenger for Pihanga's affection, Taranaki who now sits some 200 kilometers to the west on the edge of the island.

the weather, while gray, stayed pleasant throughout our walk. easy grade, lots of views of the lake, and very few other hikers - just a couple taking scenic shots from Ten Minute Beach. overall a pleasant substitute for a delayed alpine crossing.

Rainbow Mountain/Maungakakaramea Summit

location: Rainbow Mountain/Maungakakaramea on the road between Rotorua and Taupo
distance: approx 3 miles

description: our hike to the summit of Rainbow Mountain was one of the more random of our trip to New Zealand. we didn't linger in Rotorua in the morning (turns out the pervasive smell of sulfur can get to a person) and had plenty of time to explore on our way south to Taupo and beyond.

roadways in New Zealand were a wholly new experience for me in many ways. one of those ways: trailheads popped up all over the place, including right next to major throughways. if we hadn't know approximately when to start looking for the parking area for this trail, we would have blown right past and wouldn't have realized we missed it until we reached Taupo.

a few other cars dotted the lot, which looked more like a storage site for various gravel-like substances. as we pulled on our boots, a big truck pulled up next to us and an older gent hopped out - clearly looking like he tackled this particular hike regularly. in idle smalltalk, he confirmed that prediction, telling us that on a normal day at that time, the lot would be full of mountain bikers ready to head up the side of the mountain.

this trail turned out to be one of the joint hike-bike tracks we ascended and I cannot imagine making that climb on a mountain bike - clearly I am not cut out for such pursuits. the track is an "uphill" only loop for cyclists, designed presumably to keep bikers and hikers from crashing into one another on the steep and narrow hiking track (hikers aren't allowed on the downhill portion of the cycle course). and the path took off uphill pretty quickly, after a pleasant side trip to see a couple of thermal lakes.

the upside to uphill climbs are the views and Rainbow Mountain did not disappoint. on clear days you can see as far as Tongariro to the south; the day we hiked, while lovely, was not clear enough. in addition to the lakes, we saw several thermal vents; multi-colored rocks that give the mountain its name; lakes, hills and mountains in all directions; a trig beacon (used for geodetic surveys) and watchtower at the summit. the summit itself reminded me of Black Mountain, but only insofar as it also hosted a watchtower; southern California has never been this green.

the hike down was quite a bit less strenuous, but a hearty reminder that hiking in mountains involves all your muscles - some you didn't even know you had. if you ever find yourself driving from Taupo to Rotorua, I heartily recommend looking for the turn off to do the hike!

Cathedral Cove

location: Cathedral Cove near Hahei
distance: approx 3 miles

description: as with the Shakespeare/Lonely Bay walk earlier in the day, the trek to Cathedral Cove really constituted more of a "walk" than a hike. got to ease into things, right? besides, the sites of Cathedral Cove and nearby Hot Water Beach were the main reasons we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula!

the track, descending from a carpark at the end of the road, offers access to several bays, including Stingray and Gemstone - which apparently has a snorkel trail. after the pleasant solitude of Whitianga and Shakespeare Cliff, the other visitors at Cathedral Cove came as a bit of a surprise. we did the walk towards the end of the day, pairing this visit with Hot Water Beach (most popular at low tide when you can actually dig thermal pools on the beach), and while certainly not a zoo both the trail and the cove itself were busy. not for the first time did I consider how different our experiences might be while visiting in peak season.

the views from the trail again proved spectacular - both inland and out towards the ocean. the first of many comparisons between other locations (real or imagined) occurred. after the duration of our trip, though, I can honestly say that New Zealand, while it may evoke other places we have visited, is spectacularly and wholly unique unto itself.

as we returned to the carpark, we came across an older British gentleman, visiting with friends, who inquired about the quality of the trail - well graded and graveled the whole way down to Cathedral Cove. we assured him it continued on as it did the whole way - with just a couple dozen wooden stairs at the very end. he said he'd visited many years before and his companions refused to go to the end - thinking the trail would prove to challenging; we encountered him near Gemstone Bay, just down the hill from the carpark. I sincerely hope they kept on to the end!