Adventure

Whakapapa Ski Area - 4hr 7km hike return

Our adventure began from Whakapapa Ski Area, where we hopped on the Waterfall Express chairlift for a scenic ride to New Zealand's highest cafe at 1762m. This also shortened the full 10km 7 hour return hike, which we justified as we had just done the Tongariro Crossing the day before! Saying that, the ride was great and it was awesome to look across to Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro reminiscing on all the amazing memories from previous hikes.

Thankfully we had clear sunny skies and this made it easier to navigate our way along the unmarked path from a route description we had picked up at the Visitor Centre.

The route along Restful Ridge is really fascinating, I loved the orange boulders and rocks - so fun to climb! We enjoyed stopping often to appreciate the panoramic views, they were so beautiful. In one direction, we could see across to Lake Taupo, and in the other, we could see the striking Mount Taranaki in the distance, a mountain we had previously explored. 

Nearing the summit, amongst the colourful rocky terrain, there were icy snow patches, which we put our hands in! As we approached Dome Ridge, a few clouds started appearing below us, and with it, the realisation of how high we were. 

The first views from Dome Ridge into the crater were incredible, I remember thinking, 'Wow, we're actually looking into a real active volcano, that's quite something!' The colourful gritty volcanic rock and the eery rumbling sounds created an atmosphere of awe and respect. We just looked at each other in silence for a while, before saying, 'Wow, this is amazing!'

The ridgeline along the crater edge is steep and sharp, and it takes you to Dome Shelter at Ruapehu Crater Lake (2672m). The lake is a gorgeous icy blue and truly spectacular to see with your own eyes!

After admiring it's beautiful landscape, we were both aware of the volcanic rumbles coming from within the mountain (which is a very strange feeling!) and without wanting to talk about the possibility of what it meant, we decided it was time to head back, feeling very satisfied with our experience. The cloud was also starting to approach the mountain, so we wanted to make sure we had enough visibility to find our way back down safely, which thankfully we did. 

Coming back to the cafe for well deserved treats, followed by another scenic chairlift ride down made a great end to our hike! (Oh and interestingly enough, when we spoke to the people in the cafe, they told us the rumbling must have come from the army training barracks behind the mountain, although we weren't convinced and still believe it definitely came from within the crater..!)