The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 19.4 kilometer hike across three craters of the active volcano, Mount Tongariro.
The Tongariro "must have" list, according to the national park's website:
- Food and water
- Rain jacket
- Strong sturdy boots
- Warm woolen clothing
- Sunscreen
- First aid kit
- Map and compass
What I had/wore:
- Food and water
- Rain jacket
- The cheapest pair of sneakers from Footlocker in Sydney
- Shorts, a long-sleeve cotton shirt, cotton socks - not hat, no gloves, no PANTS
- Sunscreen (though it was not necessary)
- Bandaids
- Map from my hostel
Not sure how we didn't get the memo that hiking the Tongariro Crossing requires warm clothing. It felt like hiking Mount Everest in shorts, and while I know that's a huge exaggeration, I was convinced by kilometer ten my fingers would never recover from their borderline-frostbitten condition.
But we did it! We hiked a volcano - an active volcano - and while I can't say I have the desire to do it again, it's a pretty cool thing to check off on my bucket list.