Misty Eyes & Hot Cocoa

Tongariro was a wet ‘un but fear not as we walked on early in the morning and made it our afternoon mission to bring back some warmth into our blood. We awoke to a fine but everlasting mist that carried on until we left the area the next morning. After our hike, we skipped over to the fancier ski lodge: Chateau Tongariro. It used to be a hospitality school, then a mental asylum and now it serves high tea and houses ski bunnies all year around. We got some of the largest scones and hot chocolates I have ever had the pleasure of devouring and headed back to our base. Our place of accommodation was Skotel Alpine Resort – a lovely wooden lodge kitted out with manuka honey amenities and a hot tub that we sprinted to after spending too much time in the wilderness. Its located in Whakapapa village and for you cheeky kids, I have a fun fact for y’all. ‘Wha’ is actually pronounced with an ‘fu’ sound in Maori so read Whakapapa again and have a bit of a giggle. The strong mist and fog meant that we missed seeing the three active volcanoes in the area so I would love to return in the future, maybe in the depth of winter to see the snow capped mountains.

 

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