Today, we went on a hike. A serious hike. We went on a 19.4k hike through snow to an elevation of 1886m.
At 7 am we met up with our guides and the rest of the group before setting off across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. We were lucky. The weather has been hit and miss for the past week, but for just this Saturday, it was absolutely beautiful.
There were about 14 people in our group, with 2 guides. They emphasized that everyone needed to be reasonably fit in order to complete the hike within our time frame. We started walking at a brisk pace and didn't stop for about an hour.
Then we came to this sign. 
Well, we had already paid the fee for the guide, so there was no turning back. Plus, everyone who knows Murphy and me knows that we are both in outstanding shape....really, the pinnacle of female fitness...American Ninja Warrior level. Ha...False. When asked to describe our body types, we usually respond, "pizza."
We hiked onwards.
Eventually, we hit snow and had to stop to equip ourselves with crampons, helmets, and ice axes. We learned that crampons are as fun to use as they are to say...crampons.
After a slow, very steep hike to the summit, we stopped for a brief lunch. Here we are chillin in front of Mt Doom.
Hiking back down towards the Emerald Lakes (which were frozen over and not-so-emerald) was fun. We got the giggles watching everyone lean back and take big steps in the fresh powder, trying not to fall.
Clouds started to roll in as we hiked. We lost a bit of visibility for a while but our group did a good job of staying close together. The hike got a bit less exciting after we got out of the snow, but the views were still great. I can see why they filmed a lot of The Lord of the Rings in this area. It can sometimes look like an entirely different planet.
The last hour of our hike was through the bush. After 6 hours of hiking, we were starting to lose some of our original enthusiasm and were eager to find the end of the trail, where a van and a cold beverage were waiting for us. Not to brag or anything, but Murphy and I were the first ones to finish the hike. Nothing motivates you to move like sore toes, aching backs, and the promise of a cold beer at the end. We enjoyed our complementary Speights beer and rested our feet while we waited on the rest of the group to finish, feeling very proud of ourselves.
We treated ourselves to a warm dinner at The Station Cafe and a piece of chocolate cake. We tried to stay awake but after a warm shower, we fell asleep to the sounds of our Airbnb host playing soft, acoustic guitar....at 8:30pm. Solid day.
We both ended up waking up around 4:30am the next day. The weather was rubbish and rainy all day so we wound up lazing around, reading books, and napping most of the day. Our Airbnb host got off work early and made us homemade pita bread and hummus and told us about how he moved from India to New Zealand. For anyone who loves being outdoors, New Zealand is probably one of the best places to be.
Possibly my favorite post yet. Can't wait to see your pizza bodies in a few weeks!
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