Since I started planning our trip to New Zealand, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been on my list. This 19.4 km (12.1 mile) hike has made multiple appearances on 'best day hikes in the world' lists. It's basically a half marathon across a volcano.
Mount Ruapehu is New Zealand's tallest volcano and was 'Mt Doom' in the Lord of the Rings. You don't actually climb Mt Ruapehu but get great views throughout the hike.
The highest point is at 1886m (6,100 ft) at Red Crater, which is at the middle of the hike. After that, we descended to the Emerald Pools, aptly named.

The pools were an incredible shade of green and blue, and geothermal features around the pools spewed steam. It was other-worldly. It took us just over 4 hours, which we were very proud of, since the average time reported is 6-8 hours.
We stayed in Turangi, which is about 20 minutes drive from Tongariro. While researching the area for our hike, I came across Korohe Horse Treks, which offer trail riding for all skill levels. I used to ride & show horses when I was a kid, but the last time I was on a horse was 20 years ago, and William has never been on a horse. We decided to go for it!


Our guide was a Kiwi lady who was about our age, and she competes in long distance endurance rides. She gave William and I lots of great recommendations for the surrounding area, including a lagoon about 15 minutes from where we were staying. We went after our ride, and it was absolutely beautiful. William brought his bathing suit and decided to jump in. It was absolutely freezing (zoom in on his face)!

We enjoyed our weekend trip but were incredibly sore (between the hiking and the horseback riding we may have overdone it). It's back to work this week, then I have friends from the States coming to visit!
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