Tongariro Alpine Crossing (Easter Sunday 2014) - Need buddies

Hi,
We (me and my wife) are planning to complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Easter Sunday (20th April 2014). We are about 30 years of age and are reasonably fit. We have been doing some hard treks last year in Australia to prepare for the crossing. On advise from some of my mates in NZ, we are now looking for groups to do the trek with rather than do it on our own. Private guides, in the region, according to the internet sites, charge a massive sum of over $330 per person and we want to avoid spending so much for a one day trip! (I think this is way over the top!).

I am, thus looking for mates to 'tramp' this alpine crossing with. If we get at least two more people to come along, that would be great. We don't want to be part of a group of 30 odd though! By the way, you must be friendly, easy going and not overly crazy about completing this crossing within a target time or pace. We are going there to enjoy the beauty of the place and the trek not set standards for ourselves.

Thanks,
Sourav.

Weather at Easter is notoriously fickle and could be a problem given it is later this year. The Tongariro Crossing isnt something to be taken lightly and every year people who are ill prepared have to be rescued.

Easter is a little later this year, but if the weather is good then you certainly wont be alone. I would expect numbers to be in the hundreds. There are a number of shuttle buses who do transport for this trek, as the entry and exit points are not that close. They wont be running if the forecast is poor.
Check with DOC or information centre for up to date forecasts, and take their advice. Recommend you take clothing to cover all seasons, as weather conditions can be very changeable during the course of the day. Plenty of water, snacks, etc as well.
Hope you get to do it, its a fabulous trip.

Thanks for that. Yes, I am going to check with DoC and I will organise the shuttle buses- there are few that provide you a return trip at $30 odd. I am hoping thought that I get to find people to make this trip with earlier without leaving it for the due date.

Don't waste your money. You absolutely do not need a private guide. I live in NZ and have done it numerous times. You need simply to book the bus that takes you there from where you are staying. We have a place at Ohakune and get the bus that takes you there in the morning and picks you up afterwards. I am sure there are buses that provide the same service to and from The Chateau at Mt Ruapehu, National Park, Turangi and possibly as far away as Taupo. I suggest Ohakune. It's a cool little town or Taupo which is really nice. 'Private guide' -what a joke. You will be with hundreds of people and honestly it's a diddle. I'm 60 and do it easy. The worst bit is the steps coming down the far side. There's thousands of them and if like me you have had a hip replaced twice it really gives the legs a good workout.

Hi there! My husband and I are 30/29 and we just completed the Tongariro Crossing. You do not need a guide. You will be with loads of other people and the trails are well marked. It is a really amazing experience and certainly challenging, but like I said, you will be hiking it with a lot of other people. Advice- take at a minimum 1.5L water each, food and snacks. Also, bring toilet paper. The toilets on the trail, do not have toilet paper until you get to the last hut. Even that can be hit or miss. Wear good shoes, I did it in trainers and was fine, but they fit perfectly. After you come down from the top of the red crater, stop and take the time to empty all the sand out of your shoes and socks so that you don't get blisters. It is a long, long, long ways to walk down hill after you descend from the volcano. have fun, seriously one of our favorite memories from New Zealand. :)

kitrob and divergenttravelers, thank you very much. I was vacillating on the option of taking a guide but now, reading your views, I think that is exactly what we will aim for. Thank you for the tips - bus, water, food, toilet paper(!!!), and the sand thing! I am hoping the weather holds up but even if it doesn't, if I see this track open and people on them, I am in.

This post has been removed because it may not have met our community guidelines.

Hi,

I planning to have a winter (Early August) Tongariro Alpine Crossing, do i need a Guide?

Seeing this is an older post and the OPs dates have been and gone, it would be better to make a brand new post.

As requested, this is my last post here.

When I reached Tongariro, I could not see my hand in front of me - the weather was so bad and it was so foggy. The day I wanted to do the walk, the weather was foggy, cloudy, windy, wet and cold. There are tour operators that are necessary to ensure that once you complete the crossing, they can bring you back (for which you need to book one beforehand). The council of tour operators check every morning for weather and other geographical factors to decide whether they would operate for the day. This decision is usually made by 6:30am every morning. On that particular day, they decided to cancel their tours. Hence, trekkers would, if they wanted to walk the crossing, would need to arrange for transport back to their accommodation. We did not risk it because of all those factors and decided to do a short walk instead.

However, the short walk turned pretty long, the track became hazardous, we slipped numerous occasions on the muddy and watery conditions of the track and finally decided to return. It took us five hours in the Tongariro Northern Circuit but because of the condition of the track, we did a total of just 10kms. However, retrospectively, the walk was something to remember.

I would recommend angelgemini and all those who are willing to do this trek, to ensure they do it in a dry season and check the weather and the tour operators before going ahead. In winter, the area is covered in snow (especially in August) and the risk factor is high. Sometimes, because of high cross winds, it is not advisable. It is good to check with the information centre in whakapapa for their view. They don't close the track, they just dont recommend doing so in case of bad weather.

All the best and I am still looking forward to doing it in the future (in summer this time)