YIC completed an excellent 6 day tramp in Tongariro National Park. On the first day he walked the extremely popular Tongariro Crossing and climbed the active volcanoes Ngaurohoe and Tongariro. He then tramped the Round the Mountain Circuit (Ruapehu being the mountain in question) which by contrast was extremely quiet. On 3 out of the 4 nights on the RTM circuit, YIC was the only one in the hut. On the last day, YIC was blessed with fantastic weather and made it to the dome shelter overlooking Ruapehu's crater. This was his high point in NZ at 2,672 metres. The climb was not marked and, apart from a DOC team doing an annual survey of the top (they had been helicoptered in), YIC was the only tramper there. YIC has now climbed all the active volcanoes on the NZ mainland.
On the Tongariro Crossing with Ngaurohoe in the background - Lord of the Rings fans might recognise this as Mount Doom.
Emerald Lake on the Tongariro Crossing with sulphur steam rising in the background
stones in the desert on the east of Ruapehu
at the Dome Shelter overlooking Ruapehu crater lake
trampers at Oturere Hut play monopoly to pass the evening away
