Day 13 – Turangi, New Zealand – 6:57 PM

After a 6 hour bus ride that departed Auckland at 9 am, I arrived in Turangi this afternoon and checked into my hostel.  When I rang the doorbell, I was greeted by Sara, a German woman, who invited me in.  She informed me that she was a guest at the hostel and the manager was out running errands and would return soon.  We sat in the common area and introduced ourselves.  We first discussed the hostel and she stated there were 5 rooms, a far cry from the large hostel I booked in Auckland.  I asked her if we were the only 2 there and she nodded.  She then told me she didn’t expect anyone else to arrive today.  I became excited thinking about the prospect of having my own room for the night.  Once the manager returned, she confirmed that Sara and I were indeed the only guests for tonight.  While my hostel mates in Auckland were awesome, it will be nice to have my own space and a little more privacy.  Plus, I won’t feel guilty about waking anyone up early in the morning as I’m normally the first awake.

As Sara and I chatted, we discussed our plans in New Zealand and more specifically Turangi.  I told her I intended to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing tomorrow but was weary about my lack of proper gear as the temperatures were forecast to be at or below freezing.  She wanted to hike the crossing tomorrow as well and asked if I wanted to join her.  I figured it was smarter to hike it as a pair rather than solo.  We walked to the tourist center to inquire about renting gear and a possible guide.  I agreed that having a guide was smart due to the forecast and they could point things out and explain the history of the crossing; both items that Sara and I knew nothing about.  Although costing a bit more than I hoped, I decided to rent the equipment and a guide will lead Sara and I on the crossing beginning at 930 am tomorrow morning.  This hike is billed as one of the most scenic in New Zealand and not your standard walk in the park.  It is a 12.1 mile hike that reaches an altitude of just over 6,000 feet.  Hopefully, the cold temperatures and my rented waterproof hiking boots do not exacerbate the challenge we face tomorrow.