The best day walk in NZ, it is said. One of the best in the world, I think. Ng_goal_ahead is taken from the Mangatepopo Saddle (about 1710m) looking up Mt Ngauruhoe (2291m). The climb is best taken up a rocky ridge interrupted by a few sections of scree (dead centre of the photo) and takes about 2 hours - 580m vertical scaled over 1.5km. Coming down looks easy, and takes just one hour - you just slide down the scree to the right of the ridge? Well, sort of, and you get a kg of dust and rubble in each boot, but you must beware of hidden anchored rocks that can send you head over heels, and take care not to dislodge rocks that may tumble down the near-45 degree slope onto any climbers below. That's one of my sons. Ngaur-top is obvious enough, looking West, and taken by another climber who didn't quite manage to include Mt Taranaki in the distance, just out of shot to the left. Ng_frSCr is taken from halfway up the steep path on the East rim of the South Crater of Mt Tongariro which ascends to the raw and surreally dramatic Red Crater. You can see some of the path at the lower left edge of Ng_halfup, snaking up above the narrow "lake" of dried mud. fiddler
those titles aren't relevant of course, but it's clear enough that they run chronologically with the description. fiddler
