Tongariro Alpine Crossing Guide - North Island of NZ

Time: 7-8 hours
Cost: ~$30 per person for the shuttle or just drop your party off and only send one person on the shuttle to save money
Skill: You don't need to be particularly skilled in any way just be able to walk the whole day and go up and down a steep elevation.
What to Bring: 
The peak elevation of this hike is very windy and cold even in the middle of summer so pack some warm clothes
-Multiple bottles of water
-Snack and possibly lunch
-Some toilet paper (the portapotties along the way don't always have it)
-Hat
-Light jacket
-Hiking boots

The Hike:
Please note this is a one-way hike, not a loop. You will need to start at a certain end of the trail so you don't make the mistake we made.

You will need to park your car at the end of the trail then take a shuttle to the beginning. The majority of shuttles only run in the morning not in the evening so there will be no one to pick you up if you start at the wrong end. The Mangatepopo road is the end where you will start your hike. Your car will be parked at the Ketetahi car park side. You might have to pay for parking as well as the shuttle. There is a possibility of finding free parking on the side of the road but there are many spots you will get a ticket so get there early and read all the signs.

I won't explain the hike step by step since it will just confuse you. As a general overview, this hike is unlike any hike you've ever seen before. You'll hike across calm valleys, volcanic rocks, craters that feel like your on mars, and craters that you just want to swim in.

For a more detailed overview, visit https://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/national-park/soda-springs-to-south-crater?seacat=2052

My story: 
My friends and I did zero research to this hike beforehand. All we knew is that it would take all day. We just googled where Tongariro alpine crossing was and of course, it brought us to the car park side. We didn't know anything about the shuttles until we got there and when we found out the price, we weren't going to pay. So we parked our van along the side of the road and hiked to the "end" of the hike and started there. We did the entire thing backward so we walked up the steeper sides and down the easier sides. We actually didn't mind this at first because we were never stuck walking behind people and had the first half of the hike to ourselves with no one else in sight. However, this caused some problems.

In the very middle of the hike, there is a very steep rocky slope that everyone is going down. We had to hike up this which was very challenging and it is narrow in some parts so we weren't helping the people trying to pass us. When we got to the end, we found that we were alone once again. For some reason, we expected there to be a shuttle but there wasn't a person in sight for miles and we were all exhausted. Luckily, our kiwi friend hiked miles by himself to the main road, hitchhiked back to our van and brought it back to us. This was extremely lucky and I don't recommend anyone else doing this. The chances of hitchhiking back are very low and trust me you will be too tired to walk all the way back to your car.

Please feel free to leave questions in the comments below, I'd be happy to answer them!