24-25 July 2020

Leader: Chris Keating

Twelve of us headed up to Tongariro National Park on the Friday for a beginner's snowcraft instruction weekend. All three of our vehicles were four wheel drive and this turned out to be quite important.

Our accommodation was The Crossing Backpackers at Erua, 6 kilometres south of National Park - quirky, with long winding corridors linking bunkrooms and living areas but warm and cosy enough.

We set off from the Backpackers on Saturday morning in light rain and mist not knowing what to expect weather wise at the mountain. It was still misty at Whakapapa Village as each of our cars pulled up at the checkpoint at the bottom of the Bruce Road. Only 4WD's and cars with chains fitted were being allowed through and even then only if the car had been booked for a parking space in the top ski field carpark. The value of our 4WD's soon became apparent - John started out in two wheel drive as the road look OK but a couple of minutes later the car was sliding badly on the ice and after using his rally driver skills to control the car John put it into 4WD and drove carefully for the rest of the trip up to the top car park.

As we went up the road the mist gradually cleared and when we parked we were above the cloud and the sky was completely blue. Owen discovered that the new Sky Waka gondola would be operating and, contrary to the website, was available for single "sightseeing" return trips. We bought tickets and after queuing in the cold wind for an hour and a bit for the gondola to be de-iced, we had a spectacular ride up to the Knoll Ridge Cafe complex near the top of the field. Compulsory coffees, hot chocolates, teas and a bite to eat soon warmed us up as we looked out to the spectacular view of the Pinnacles through the big cafe windows.

After piling on the sun cream we headed over to the Knoll Ridge T-bar and headed up the ridge. Our snow instructor Rex soon had us cutting steps with our ice axes and at the top of the ridge we all put on crampons for the slopes above the ski field. Rex assessed the avalanche danger to be low so we headed out over the first snow basin making our way up and across to the ridge above the Whakapapa glacier. Owen kindly led the way, kicking steps for us to follow in the softer snow. When the snow got harder we "flat footed" - using our crampons on top of the snow. At various points on the slopes that had a safe run out, Rex got us to practice self arresting with our ice axes. We had mixed success with this as the snow tended to pile up beneath us slowing us down a bit too quickly. However it did demonstrate the technique.

The ridge broadened as we cramponed our way upwards and we eventually reached the ridge above the Summit Plateau, below peak 2642m. Access to the Plateau was a bit difficult so we took lots of photos of the fantastic views all around then had lunch looking out across the tops of the clouds to the north and northwest. (We missed out on seeing the Ruapehu crater lake - it was the other side of a peak called The Dome just above us.)

We followed much the same route back down, getting in a few more self arrest exercises on the way and enjoying views of the Pinnacles and Mount Ngauruhoe sitting above the cloud layer to the north. A route down the Valley T-bar brought us back to the cafe complex and we took the gondola back down to the skifield base and the carparks.

The day was rounded off nicely with a meal at the Schnapps Bar and Restaurant in National Park.

We stayed another night at Crossing Backpackers and on the Sunday we walked the nearby "Marton Sash and Door" mountain bike track before heading home mid afternoon.

Those on the trip were:

Chris Keating, Glenda Robb, Rex Benbrook, Owen Cox, Marian Cox, Neville Grubner, Elisabeth Hynes, Chantal Heller, Kate Livingston, Yingjun Shelton, Rodney Hopkirk, John Sturgess