Blue Lake - The Journey to Blue Lake

Half-way through my stay in Tongariro National Park, I spent the night at Waihohonu Hut. Waihohonu Hut is the closest hut to the summit of Mount Tongariro and is located a couple of hours away from Blue Lake. Blue Lake is really just a large puddle or small pond that sits in the saddle between Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe. Having arrived at the hut a few hours earlier than I expected, I decided to make the trip to Blue Lake. The weather wasn't looking great, but it had been cloudy all day, so I figured the rain would have already started if it was going to rain at all. 

On my way to the lake, I took my time looking at the interesting rock formations that were a result of explosive volcanic activity some decades ago. People kept commenting on how these formations make you feel like you are walking on the moon. None of these people had been to the moon which I'm sure looked nothing like those rocks, so I don't know why they weren't satisfied with just saying the rock formations were really interesting and impressive. 

An hour into the two hour trip, it started to sprinkle. It was almost a mist and I had my rain gear, so I wasn't concerned at all. I even took the time to take this picture of myself. 

As I started to make the final steep ascent to Blue Lake, the rain started to pick up and the wind was becoming an issue. I climbed up the trail using both arms and both legs as the weather grew increasingly worse. I considered turning back several times as I crouched behind a big rock to wait for a large gust of wind and rain to pass over.  I was determined to see the famous Blue Lake though, so I kept hiking upward. 

Finally, I arrived at the smallest lake I have ever seen. It was probably no more than two feet deep and maybe twenty feet across. The wind was blowing so hard that I struggled to stand up straight as I took out my camera. The rain wasn't too heavy, but it hurt as it was propelled by the strong, "alpine" gusts. I made it though and I'm glad I did. 

I was happy to have made the trip, but the most frustrating part is how nice the picture looks. It doesn't look like great weather, but it still looks like a relatively calm day. You don't see any of the rain that was stinging my face or the strong wind that was actually moving little scoria stones around on the ground. I really like my camera, but my next one will definitely have a "crappy weather" setting that shows all of the rain and maybe puts in a little digital windsock to show how strong the wind is.