Day 51. Tongariro Crossing. Blisters a go-go.

They say if you only do one hike while you're here, then the Tongariro Crossing is the fella. A challenging 10 miler, climbing between a couple of dormant and one not so dormant volcano with a towering view of Lake Taupo and a steaming thermal spring thrown in for good measure.



It was tough. Bloody tough at times, especially the beginning section aptly named the Devil's staircase, but well worth the 5am start and subsequent aching limbs.

We walked for the full 7 hours with a Norwegian bloke called Mattheus who'd we'd met on the shuttle bus.

He was well weird man.



Not at all in a bad way though - he was very pleasant, more articulate than most and blessed with a dry wit. No, what really threw us was his broad Irish accent. This is a guy who has never visited the Emerald Isle, has never had regular contact with Irish people and isn't even particularly fond of Guinness. Yet he sounds exactly like one of Bernard's drinking buddies in Dublin.

Like I said, weird. Understandably the poor bloke gets a bit tired of Brit's - and for that matter Irishmen - asking him what the craic is and requesting a verse or two of 'Paddy McGinty's goat'.

Completely shagged when we finished, so treated ourselves to the finest curry we've had since coming away.