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Travelogue New Zealand
previousNov 03
Fri
Shining volcanoes in Tongariro National Park
On the way to Tongariro National Park I phone up the Discovery Lodge to find out if there are sites left and if they have a dump station. The guy tells me they have enough space but no dump station. No worries anyway, it'd be no problem and they'll take care of it.
In Tongariro National Park · more Tongariro NP pictures 
We drive across wide plains in yellow, green and brown tones, with the volcano peaks always in sight. At first, we head for the DOC office in the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre in Whakapapa. There you can see a miniature of the National Park with all the tracks, summits and valleys on a relief map, which allows a pretty vivid impression of the track. Nevertheless, we need a hiking map and ask for the current weather situation:
Tongariro Forecast
Friday: Fine, with some cloudy areas. Isolated showers possible in the afternoon. Light northerlies. Freezing level rising to 2600 metres.
Saturday: Fine and cloudy periods. Northwest winds. Freezing level rising to 3000 metres.
Sunday: Fine and cloudy periods. Northwesterlies, becoming moderate about the tops. Freezing level about 3000 metres.
Monday: Cloud increasing, and poor visibility in rain developing. Northwesterlies, briefly rising to gale. Freezing level above 3000 metres.
So, Saturday seems to be the right day for the desired Tongariro Crossing. I want to know if there's a posibility of fog because I think that could turn nasty when you're up there. I'm told that of course there's no guarantee because the weather can change from one minute to the next, but we have a good chance of clear sight tomorrow.
The Discovery Lodge makes a super impression. Coming from Taupo it's situated on SH 47, about 1 km past Whakapapa, on the right. They charge $14 per person per night for a powered camper site. We want to stay for 2 nights and book the shuttle to the start of the Tongariro Crossing for tomorrow morning ($25 p.p.). We can empty the grey water into a drain and can get rid of the black water on the campsite at the visitor centre for no charge (!).
Mt Ngauruhoe viewed from Discovery Lodge · more Tongariro NP pictures
From the campground you can see the three volcanoes. They seem to be very near, Mt Ngauruhoe (2287 m) ahead. Sometimes you see the summit, then it is hiden in the clouds again. The view from the sun deck of the lodge is even better. We play pool in the guest lounge, later we cook curry chicken for dinner.
The sunset blows us away. The almost cloud-free volcanoes shine pinky red in the evening light.
Sunset on the volcanoes · more Tongariro NP pictures
