In the middle of the North Island of New Zealand is a very popular walk called the Tongariro Crossing. It takes about 6 to 8 hours to do the entire hike and it crosses a very unique volcanic landscape. Most of the time it feels like you’re walking across the surface of Mars or some far away planet.

In this particular section of the hike, we had just crossed over the summit and begun the descent. The two lakes that are in front of Hilary are probably the most famous features of the hike (besides Mount Doom and the Red Crater) and are an abrupt splash of colour compared to the stark landscape surrounding you.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather on the day that we did the Tongariro crossing as well. In the morning, there was a heavy fog that reduced visibility to nothing, but shortly after starting the hike, the fog lifted and the sun came out. We also did the hike in the very small window of time where the lakes had thawed after winter, but where there is still snow around the edges. Apparently there is only a space of about 10 days each year where this is possible to see.

I have an entire post on the Tongariro Crossing in the New Zealand trip report (under the Places tab on the menu) if you are interested in finding out more.