The Tongariro crossing continued

Once back down the volcano it is a mere 14.5km to the end of the track… !! But only after a rest and a chance to empty my boots of stones and ash. Taking on water I head off and meet a French lady ‘Cushen’ who had also made It to the summit and come down another route in the scree… We decide to travel together and head along the track to the red crater discussing travel and geology - another steep climb up to the lip of a gently smoking summit - the rocks here are warm and you can sit down and have lunch - but being pressed for time we continue on passing beautifully coloured rock formations, lakes (Which stank of sulphur/rotten eggs) and perfectly flat crater floors like moonscapes. It was also another opportunity to use our scree sliding skills on the descent from the red crater lip - a narrow ridge with vertical drops either side!!
The climbing had not finished yet as once again we are faced with a climb to the top of crater lake. Once at the summit there are fantastic views back over the landscape to both the red crater and looming Mnt Doom. Awesome, it is only now that I notice a little discomfort… Reaching back I find that a small red/pink rock had found its way into the back of my trousers (Much to the amusement of my hiking companion)!! Obviously the scree was a little deeper than I thought in places... However, the lake is a wonderful shade of blue but there is no time to stop for long - the trail calls as we are still 11km from our destination and we need to be there for the bus at 4.30pm… If not we would have to hitch hike!!

So picking up the pace we carry on along protected Maori landscapes and pass by boiling hot springs before coming to the final rest hut en route, just 6km from our final destination - the car park and bus… I am knackered by now and my legs feel like lead but I find reserves of energy for the final leg… Which turns out to have a few more climbs before the end!! The final 3km are through woodland along gently bubbling streams, until finally we arrive at four small posts and a bus shelter - this is it - We have made it :) I raise both arms and let out an involuntary cry of celebration - at which point I sit down… … … But not for long as the bus driver calls over our names - we are the last to arrive!! (After all we did complete a 2 hour extra climb on an active volcano!!). So staggering the last few steps we settle into the bus at 4.10pm and head back to Taupo, glowing with achievement. Fantastic, but I know I am going to feel it tomorrow ;)