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How to Hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Why You’d Want To

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the most famous hikes in New Zealand and known as one of the best single day hikes in the world.

But many people face this trek without knowing that. They do it because, much like the rest of New Zealand, it has ties to Lord of the Rings.

The summit of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing gives you the perfect view of Mount Doom in Mordor.

If you’re not a Lord of the Rings fan, don’t worry! This hike isn’t just for geeks like me who actively seek out Lord of the Rings related sites in New Zealand. It’s genuinely a stunning adventure that every visitor to New Zealand should brave to learn more about the unique scenery of the country.

Hiking this trail takes you through a lava field that millennia ago would have been the islands of New Zealand before they became the fertile land they are now.

While you do the walk, keep in mind that the Tongariro National Park is a sacred place. The Maori who have inhabited the area since the 14th century believe that Mount Tongariro is both a divine ancestor and the home of their human ancestors. It plays a key role in their belief system and is thus, heavily protected.

To find out how to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, what to wear, and how to see the stunning Emerald Lakes, keep reading! I include my own experience doing this trek completely unprepared and share what you should know so you don’t make the same mistakes I did.

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Mirror Lake from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on a sunny day

Where is the Tongariro Crossing

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is one of the best hikes to do in New Zealand. You’ll find it located in Tongariro National Park, just outside of Taupo on the north island of New Zealand.

What is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing?

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a one-day hike in New Zealand. It’s repeatedly been found to be one of the top 10 single day treks in New Zealand – and in the world.

It’s a challenging journey through a volcanic lava field from thousands of years ago. It’s located in Tongariro National Park, a dual World Heritage Site for its beauty and its significance to the Maori culture.

The 19.4km journey will take you through scenery you’ve never seen before. From lava fields to climbing snowy volcanoes, you’re sure to be in awe of this world-renowned hike.

It takes 7-8 hours to complete, so you’ll need to allow a whole day for this adventure. Some people will finish faster, but it’s not a race. Taking your time is recommended so you can enjoy more of the scenery.

The starting gravel path through fields of brush at the beginning of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with the mountains silhouetted by the rising sun

Getting to the Tongariro Crossing

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is best reached by shuttle from one of the major cities nearby, like Taupo. Since it’s a one-way hike, you would need to catch a cab from the end to return to your vehicle if you drive.

There is a 4-hour parking limit at the national park, so you’re likely to have to cut your trek short.

Don’t limit your experience: go via shuttle.

Via Shuttle

Shuttles can be taken from Whakapapa, National Park, Turanhi, Raetihi, Ohakune, Taumaranui, and Taupo i-SITEs. These city-centre information sites are all on the daily stop by the shuttles heading to the crossing.

You will need to book ahead, as most shuttles are fully booked days in advance due to the popularity of the hike.

Typically, the shuttles drop guests off at Mangatepopo and pick you up at Ketetahi Road. This is the direction that most visitors hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, although you can technically go in either direction.

Shuttles will pick you up extremely early. Mine from Tongariro Expeditions arrived at 5:15 am to get us to the national park by 6:45am.

The round-trip journey costs $70 NZD, which is a bit pricey, but since the actual hiking of the national park is free and you can avoid paying for a taxi back to your car if you drove, the price doesn’t feel quite so bad.

Where to Stay

Mount Tongariro, also known as Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings series

Significance of Mount Tongariro to Lord of the Rings

I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan. When I went to New Zealand, I knew I had to visit the Hobbiton movie set to see one of the most famous movie sites in the country.

I didn’t realize I’d see another one when I went to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

Since I’m more of a book-fan than a movie-fan, I didn’t immediately recognize the significance of Mount Tongariro, which featured in the Peter Jackson films as Mount Doom. This is the famous volcano that Frodo spends the entire series trying to reach to destroy the One Ring.

Now, you aren’t actually climbing Mount Doom, which is a protected site. The trek of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing takes you beside it, so you can get a stunning vista view on a clear day.

My Experience Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Nina posing with the starting sign of 0km at the beginning of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Starting the Hike

I arrived at 6:45 am, still a bit groggy from having woken up at 4:45am to get to the shuttle and have breakfast. I unloaded with 80 other equally tired visitors, most of them from my hostel, who were trying to wake up enough to face the 19.4km journey ahead of us.

We started walking on auto-pilot, following the bus ahead of us, as another shuttle unloaded behind us.

The sun wasn’t fully risen yet, casting the mountains in a pale glow that seemed to summon us closer.

The start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike is very tame. It lulls you in slowly with flat boarded walkways and gravel paths that brush and stone as you enter the volcanic lava fields. Sparse vegetation grows around the path.

The morning fog hadn’t fully lifted, waiting to be burned off by the sun. It cast the mountains in fantastic silhouettes. Suddenly it wasn’t so difficult to understand why the Maori believed them to be living giants.

A few kilometres into the walk, you get the option to diverge onto one of three paths. Two options take you on additional treks – one to the waterfall where they filmed Golem in the Hobbit, and one to a small town that you can visit overnight.

I skipped both.

I was barely ready to hike 19.4km. I wasn’t about to add to my journey!

Nina turning to face the camera in front of Mount Doom halfway up the Tongariro Crossing trail

Ascending the Mountain to See Mount Doom

All too soon, the land starts to rise before you. The dreaded stairs appear.

Long ago, when the Tongariro Crossing was rising to fame, crude stairs were cut into the side of the mountains. Many have chains roughly nailed into the wall to help you pull yourself up the uneven walkways. It isn’t until the incline gets extremely steep that the stairs are more standardized, with a railing for safety.

The stairs are probably the worst part of the hike. Honestly, I’d have prefered to do the incline on a rocky path than to do it via stairs.

After two sets of stairs, you’ll come to a landing. It allowed me to pause to catch my breath as the asthma I vehemently denied having would start to rear its head.

I still maintain that there must have been a million steps to reach the top of the mountain. Apple disagrees. According to my pedometer app, there were only a few thousand.

The worst part of the stairs is that they curve around the rugged mountains, giving you the illusion that you’ve reached the peak. Yet, each time, there’s somehow another flight for you to pull yourself along.

Nina posing and flexing her arms in front of Mount Tongariro (Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings) at the summit of the Tongariro Crossing

Reaching Mount Doom on the Alpine Crossing Trek

About 9km in (according to my Apple Health app), you reach the summit. By then, I’d stripped and redonned my layers at least a dozen times. My legs were heavy and slow. I could barely catch my breath.

I had climbed above most of the clouds. What were left parted to give me the perfect view of Mount Doom.

Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was Mount Doom. Although, maybe the guy taking a photo of his “one ring” in front of the mountain should have been a sign.

Instead of taking a LOTR themed photo, I posed like the adventurer I felt I was. I had come and I had conquered! I felt strong and powerful and so damn tired.

Moments later, the clouds drifted in front of the mountain, completely covering the view. Apparently, this is a common occurrence. Many hikers, like my step-sister who had visited a few years earlier, don’t get to see anything after all their hard work due to the ever-changing weather on the mountains.

Clouds blocking the view of Mount Doom from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing summit

I sat happily on a nearby rock, enjoying being enclosed in clouds on every side of the summit, happily snacking on my sandwich.

Lunch was well-deserved, even if it that only 10am (when you’ve been up since 5, meal times cease to have meaning).

Sitting there, sipping on my water and watching the wisps of clouds slowly start to unfurl to give travelers another glimpse of the famed Mount Doom, it felt like the enormous amount of effort was worth it.

Man sitting on the edge of the summit of the Tongariro Crossing with the clouds floating behind him

Sliding Down

The sharp decline after the mountain top was basically a gravel hill that you had to skid down, without crashing into forty people or falling into one of the spectacular emerald lakes.

Even trying to pull over to the side to snap a quick photo felt perilous.

I skidded onto my butt halfway down the decline and considered just butt-scooting the rest of the way down. If a man who looked to be in his 80s hadn’t basically run past me, I probably would have. But my competitive nature had me rising to my feet to prove that I was no less fit than him. (I am definitely less fit than him.)

The Emerald Lakes at the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trail

The Tongariro Emerald Lakes

The emerald lakes of the Tongariro Crossing have a distinct green color from the minerals they get from the volcanic soil. Tongariro National Park is an active volcanic field, with smoking hot spots studding the area around the lakes.

The steam will seep from the ground without warning, acting like a live dry ice machine to add to the drama of these stunning pools surrounded by grey ground.

Although you may be tempted, bou aren’t allowed to swim in the lakes, because the area is culturally sacred.

Besides, having thousands of sweaty tourists dunking their dirty bodies in it would definitely ruin the natural beauty.

The ground levels out around the Emerald Lakes, making it a great place to walk slowly as you recover from the treacherous descent from the summit.

As you continue, you’ll pass a snowy path that never seems to melt, even in the heat of summer.

Mirror Lake on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hiking trail

Beyond the snow is Mirror Lake, named for the rich blue water that honestly looks fake. It kind of looks like gatorade if such a thing could ever be found in nature.

The stunning lake looks so temptingly refreshing that you just want to throw yourself in it. But, again, it’s forbidden.

Stick to the path and give yourself a water bottle shower if you need to.

The view of Lake Taupo from the descent of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hiking trail through the fields of yellow grass

The Final Kilometres

The best parts of the walk are over after you’ve walked about 10km. That means you still have 9.4km to trod through.

By then, I’d seen the Lord of the Rings mountain, witnessed the famous Emerald Lakes, and had seen enough volcanic lava fields for the day. I’d eaten my best snacks and my feet hurt. I just wanted to go back to the hostel and lie down.

Soon, the terrain shifted. The lava fields morphed into a grassy hill with rolling fields that extend to the beautiful blue of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s biggest lake, visible in the distance.

I got overly optimistic: could we possibly be near the end? Had we finally walked 15km?

… No, we hadn’t.

There was still more to go.

What looked like a straight path down the mountain was actually a winding trail that seemed to zigzag needlessly for kilometres with no shade from the boiling hot midday sun.

I think I complained about every other step during that descent – a common motivational tool I’ve used in hiking that always aggravates my trail buddies. I’d bitch and moan to fuel myself enough to take another step. Then again. Then again.

Honestly, I don’t know why they didn’t just leave me.

After a few more snack breaks, a full litre of water, and a lot of checking the map to see when it would end, the trail turned into a forest.

A sharp left turn in the trees revealed the parking lot, filled with what seemed to be a hundred people strewn about a wooden platform waiting for a shuttle.

(If you ever wonder what a zombie looks like, look at the people who have just completed the Tongariro Crossing.)

I genuinely jumped with joy and let out a cry of “we did it!” when we passed the exit sign.

With zero preparation, I’d hiked 19.4km (25km according to my phone, which I now had no faith in) and walked over 30,000 steps. And it all before 1pm!

Most importantly, I had completed one of the top 9 day hikes in New Zealand and survived the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

Looking back, the Tongariro Crossing is one of my top ten adventures in New Zealand.

I hated almost every moment while I was doing it, but that’s basically my mentality towards physical activity.

It was challenging, but I think that made it more fulfilling.

This isn’t one of New Zealand’s many half hour, picture perfect mountain tops. This is a proper Alpine Crossing. It requires some preparation (even if that just means a trip to the grocery store for snacks).

I’d recommend this hike to anyone. But I’d be honest, and tell them that it is a lot of work and that I complained my way through the entire thing.

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Nina smiling in front of Mirror Lake at the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, with a snowy hill in the background.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing Tips

  1. Look up which mountain is Mount Doom (if that matters to you).
  2. Actually put on the sunscreen you bring so you don’t end up with a horrible calf tan from your capri pants (…not that I did that or anything).
  3. Bring more food than you think you need. I ate half of my snacks in the first quarter of the walk.
  4. Pack lots of layers. My five layers were so helpful. I was able to regulate my body temperature so I didn’t get too hot or too cold, which would have affected my ability to complete the Crossing.
  5. If you can, hike with a friend. It’s a lot nicer to have someone to talk to during the hike. I hiked with my friend Sarah after the rest of our friends motored on ahead. Complaining through the hike definitely bonded us. She also challenged me to keep pace (even sick she had more stamina than me!).
  6. Take your time. There’s no need to rush through it. I took tons of snack breaks and photo stops, and still finished in 6.5 hours.
  7. Take lots of photos during the Tongariro Crossing. It’s a long day and you’ll want something to look back on. I barely remembered the beginning until I looked back at my photos.
  8. Plan to wash your clothes immediately after the hike. I had to wear my smelly sweater for two more days afterward. Not fun.
  9. Keep walking after finishing the Tongariro Crossing. Do some stretches to help prevent aches. Go for a long walk the next day, too, to help get rid of muscle pain.
  10. Do the Tongariro Crossing while you’re in New Zealand. It’s an accomplishment; almost a rite of passage. Even if you’re sore after, that temporary pain is nothing compared to the knowledge that you walked an active volcanic field, saw Mount Doom and lived to tell the tale.
  11. Most people start at Mangatepopo and finish at Ketetahi, but you can technically go either direction.
  12. Weather conditions change abruptly, so have some waterproof layers accessible at all times.
  13. Avoid weekends if possible, as more people visit then. The best time to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is first thing in the morning on a weekday in spring or early summer.
  14. You are not allowed to stray from the path for photos or to relieve yourself. The Tongariro National Park is a sacred place for the Maori people. Please respect their land.
  15. You will need good footwear for this hike. Sneakers won’t cut it on the loose gravel bits of the trail. Wear a pair of hiking boots with good grip.

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Warning sign about Tongariro Crossing gear and weather.

Tongariro Crossing Gear List to Bring

  • At least 2L of water. There’s no water available along the hike. Trust me, you’ll get very thirsty.
  • LOTS of snacks. Try to take a good mix of healthy and snack-y snacks. I took a chocolate bar, apples, granola bars, and rice cakes.
  • Lunch. Most people bring sandwiches since they’re easy to carry. Make sure to pack more than one if you’re going to bring a sandwich and to try to make them filling. You’re going to get hungry walking the Crossing.
  • Toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The toilets at the Tongariro Crossing are “long drops” or outhouses without any amenities like toilet paper or sinks.
  • Take some band-aids, just in case. Walking a lot can result in bad blisters if you aren’t used to your shoes. They’re also good to have in case you trip and get a cut.
  • Take a camera or your phone. If you manage to get a clear day, the photos can be spectacular. If not, you’ll want proof that you completed the Tongariro Crossing.
  • Take a good backpack to put everything in. I prefer one with a cup holder on the side for easy access to my water bottle.
  • Walking sticks (optional). We saw a lot of people with walking sticks. I’ve never used them personally, but there were 70-year-olds whizzing past me with them.
  • A lot of layers on the Tongariro Crossing. Layers are necessary, regardless of the forecast. When I did the Crossing, it was a beautifully sunny day, but that didn’t stop it from getting freezing cold. I wore a rain jacket, a sweater, a spring jacket, a thermal shirt and a T-shirt during the walk.
  • Comfortable pants. I wore capri leggings because they weren’t heavy. Jeans are a bad idea on the Tongariro Crossing. If it rains, they are heavy and don’t dry quickly. Shorts aren’t recommended, due to how cold it can get at the higher altitude. For more on hiking clothes, check out my guide on what to wear hiking.
  • Always bring a rain coat! In New Zealand, you never know if it will rain. It would be awful to get stuck on a mountain without a rain jacket.
  • Sturdy walking shoes. I brought my hiking boots to New Zealand, so I wore those. If you don’t have hiking boots, wear sneakers. If the weather is supposed to be wet, take an extra pair of socks.
  • Hats and sunglasses are a must in New Zealand. The sun is so strong, even sunglasses aren’t enough to protect you from the sun’s glare. I forgot my hat and regretted it.
  • A hair tie. If you have long hair, take a ponytail holder to keep your hair out of your face. It can get very windy at the summit.

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The ascent up the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with hikers slowly climbing the incline and the mountains in the distance

Tongariro Crossing FAQs

What is the best time of year to do the Tongariro Crossing?

The Tongariro Crossing in an all-year hike in New Zealand. However, it is far more popular and easier to do in summer. While the hike is rated an “intermediate” skill-level in summer, it quickly becomes “advanced” in winter due to the need for special gear to hike through the snow that accumulates at the high altitude.
I recommend visiting at the end of spring and beginning of summer in New Zealand to avoid some of the crowds that can build up once summer is in full swing around January – March.
Get more tips on the best time to visit New Zealand.

How long does it take to walk the Tongariro Crossing?

Walking the Tongariro Crossing takes, on average, 6-8 hours.
I have friends who did it in 5 hours. It took me 6 and a half hours, with a lot of “photo stops” (i.e. taking photos as a guise to catch my breath without looking as out of shape as I am).
Plan a full day to do the crossing so you aren’t rushed.

How difficult is the Tongariro Crossing?

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is an intermediate hike. However, some sections can be quite difficult. There is an elevation change of +/- 1196m throughout the climb, with the peak at the summit where you can view Mount Tongariro.
The descent can be just as difficult as the ascent due to the loose gravel before the Emerald Lakes. Many people slip or slide and get injured on this part.
Anyone can do the Tongariro Crossing if they have a moderate level of fitness, the right gear, and take their time. Remember: it’s not a race. The goal is to enjoy the crossing, not to finish it the fastest.

Are there toilets along the route?

Since the Tongariro National Park is a heritage site and a sacred area for the Maori people, you cannot urinate or defecate along the trail. Helpfully, you’ll find a toilet about every 1.5 hours along the route.
These are long drops, or outhouses, so they aren’t readily stocked with supplies. You’ll need to bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

What other treks are there to do?

Although the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is what the Tongariro National Park is most famous for, there are lots of other interesting trails. If you’re looking to expand your trip into a multi-day trek or to camp in the park, you may want to consider adding on these interesting hikes:
Taranaki Falls Walking Track
Tama Lakes Track
Tawhai Falls
Silica Rapids
Maungatepopo Valley to Soda Springs
Tupapakurua Falls Track

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Tongariro Alpine Crossing boardwalk at sunrise

Why I Recommend the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand

Finding adventures that challenge you is a great way to make the most of your holiday. It’s moments like these that help you realize the most about yourself. While it might not be the instant adrenaline rush of skydiving in Taupo or swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura, the slow crescendo of pride that comes from an accomplishment like this is just as intense.

Sure, you may complain the whole time and have some sore muscles the next day. But the feeling of accomplishment is worth a few aches and groans.

Take the time to do something that pushes you – be it mentally or physically. And, if you’re in New Zealand, try the Tongariro Alpine Crossing!

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