March 21, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, day 2

From the Blue Lake on the Alpine Crossing where we pitched a tent for the night, it took about 3.5h to make a return trip to our car at Mangatepopo parking lot. It was crucial we came back early in the morning because we decided overnight to cancel rsvp for the Milford Track and had limited time to do so. We were really excited to hike the famous track, said to be one of the greatest everywhere, but the more we though about it, hefting out $300 for three nights @ DOC huts [Milford is the only track where you can’t pitch a tent] and another $300 for transportation to and from the trailhead [it’s only allowed to hike one way during the main season] seemed more and more insane. Between all the national parks and trails in Fiordland we can experience for free, we’ll definitely sample all of the scenery comprising this natural World Heritage Site.  


For some odd reason, and to our great surprise, the staff at the Department of Conservation Tongariro office [DOC], managing all national parks and forests, is not very helpful when it comes to any sorts of enquiries regarding trekking, accommodations, or even weather forecast details for that matter. Having to rescue clueless people when something goes wrong, shouldn’t they sport more concern along with those shiny badges? If you don’t ask the right questions, you should not count on any guidance or suggestions. They’re polite but brief with hints of arrogance. Do your own thorough research, know your rights of camping in the backcountry, figure our accommodations in advance, avoid asking silly little questions that just irritate them to the bone and, whatever you do, don’t cancel your reservation for the priciest Great Walk of them all in person and expect courtesy on their part. Well, we failed in all of the above when we showed up before 10am, out of our breath, and requested cancellation for the famous Milford. Time was of outmost importance because 48 hours after booking is completed they start deducting penalty fees for cancellation until the balance shrinks to zero. With great pains, instead of dialing themselves or processing our request electronically, they gave us a number for the headquarters and we managed to get a full refund minutes before the deadline. 


Back at the Whakapapa Village and in desperate need of a shower and laundry, we decide to pay for a decked out campground that even boasts fully equipped kitchen, pots and pans included. We soak in temporary comforts as the weather gets worst by the minute and huge clouds roll over the mountains, creating dense blanket as far as the horizon. We’ve never seen such amazing cloud formations. Peaks that were drenched in sunlight just a couple of hours ago are cut off at mid elevation. In a downpour that follows we make a trip to the store and pick up a hitchhiker from Washington state whose heading up north and going back home after crisscrossing New Zealand for the past six months. Incredible stories and incredible endurance.