Premium Tongariro Crossing Guided Group Walk

Fantastic tour with good guides and food and orientation. The guide held a high mood and was good at telling. The trip down the mountain was harder than the trip up, and the weather showed us all types -

The hike is 20 kms in total and is not hard per se, the peak is at km 8 and the way down could be slight-medium challenging - but in general the hike is an actual path (wooden or ground) that is flat for some parts, slopes (still ok) and a few patchy sections of rocky ground. The tour operator was very focused on just “hiking fast” and not taking the time to actually enjoy it, this opinion wasn’t only mine but shared by other 2 people in the group. The breaks were a few minutes only. I understand that the weather can change and there could be safety reasons behind it but they had a rush attitude and slightly unfriendly. Half the hike one of the guides was even a bit rude to the hikers that fell behind and the other one just walked fast but on the second half both guides were better. In general the hike can be done by oneself without having to pay an exhorbitant amount like this tour offers. Many people were doing the hike on their own, without a tour operator. In a way I do regret taking it because they were very rushy, felt like a boot camp at times and it felt like doing it myself could have been so much more enjoyable and take the time to enjoy the view.

Serious advice to 'casual/recreational/gentle hikers' and sharing my personal recent experience. For reference, my profile -I'm F 54, BMI 20.6, healthy, zero medical condition, practice reformer pilates 2-3 times/ week, 1-2 times long walks/cycling, occasional "hikes". Before committing on this full-day hike, READ in details the official site write-up, the GOV NZ website, which I can't paste the link here per TripAdvisor policy 😀 (I didn't! Regretted it, though I did complete the hike alive, I would have been mentally, physically & emotionally more prepare). If you do serious hike often in similar terrain, you don't really need a local guide (we saw quite many doing it own their own); of course if you can afford a GOOD EXPERIENCED guide, the hike can be more informative and safe, as weather, temperatures and intensity change every hour (or lesser). Do your research, read recent reviews from different sites before engaging a Guide. We booked via Get Your Guide app with ADRIFT TONGARIRO GUIDING. The agency itself is professional, well equipped and reasonably thorough with their safety checks and briefing. Now that we experienced the hike with them, here's OUR personal views: - We had 27 in total, 3 guides, initial plan were to split in in 3 groups, each led by 1 guide. 2 of the 'slightly older gentlemen (sorry, didn't get their names, I was very nervous from the onset) were definitely more experience; Matt the younger guy was a Part-time guide and unfortunately my husband decided for us to join his group since he's assigned to lead the 2nd / middle group. -The pre-hike briefing was done by 1 of the older gentleman (holding 2 dogs). Very useful information were shared. Knowing that I will be one of the "weaker-link" (not weakest), I particularly appreciate he mentioned quite clearly that The Guides will pace the group based on the group overall speed/ strengths to make sure nobody left behind and those who think they are stronger/faster can help to carry other's backpack so they keep in pace!! That was a very useful "instruction" IF this was followed:( - My group led by Matt unfortunately didn't follow this 1 principle from the beginning. Matt behaved more like a casual hop on/ hop off scenic tour guide. He wasn't checking the pace &/ didn't reiterate group pacing, talks only to the few who were following HIS pace, not much real knowledge/history were shared (he's from UK, so...) he didn't do interval head count checks until the other guides radio him at different points.... along the way, 3 from our group were "left behind", they caught up with the later group etc - At the 1st toilet stop where we had short break for snacks, I threw a pear core down a sloop, NOT knowing even organic matter is not allowed to be discard (we do have trash bag for our food wraps, plastics etc), I am happy to be informed and 'educated' BUT definitely DO NOT like to be humiliated, being rudely called out in front of 20+ people "What did you just throw, Did you just throw a fruit core... GO PICK IT UP, YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL YOU PICKED THAT UP.." His tone and body language were condescending; I felt bullied and intimated... So, that ruined the hike experience from the onset.... And, after that incident, Matt basically just kept "leading" at his pace - There's only ONE TIME he stopped and "reluctantly tried" to apply the "right pacing" method (after some radio exchange), he pointed at me and my husband (he's Swiss "mountain goat", hikes a lot but kept pace with me obviously) Like a teacher talking down to his students! - "You 2 follow behind me". BUT he didn't tell/remind the rest not to overtake! Given my lack of stamina, once there's a gap between Matt and me, the others kept wriggling from left & right to walk in front of me, so in less than 15 mins, Matt is leading at his own pace again. My husband and I have done several hikes in Zermatt (Edelweissweg), St. Moritz, Harder Kulm etc and have joined hikes in Rwanda and Uganda, so we know the importance of having GOOD GUIDES and what "pacing" means. Anyway, having seen the Red Craters, Emerald lake and all the beautiful sights, I'd still recommend Tangoriro Alpine Crossing hike experience. Make sure you READ the above link, be prepared physically and GET A GOOD LOCAL GUIDE!

The guided tour was an absolutely fantastic experience — lovely people and amazing guides! The clothing and equipment check, as well as the option to hire everything without any extra cost, really helped me feel safe and confident from the very first step 🙂☀️🙂

I highly recommend this company if you are thinking about doing the Tongariro crossing, especially if the weather is inclement. I stayed in Waimarino and it leaves from here, so the shuttle to the start and end of hike is included. I was going to do it on my own as I’m an experienced hiker, but due to rainy weather I decided to book a guided tour. Our guide Kenny went above and beyond to get our group over the crossing safely (the group the previous day had to turn back due to bad weather). Kenny’s passion for this hike and the area in general is infectious and he not only kept a close eye on every member of our group, but also scaled half way up the other side of the red crater when we were all enjoying our lunch, to rescue one person’s hat that had blown over the edge when we were at the top! He is a truly outstanding guide. The hike is hard, but spectacular. If you’re able to do a 15-20km hike once per week with a significant amount of ascent & descent, you will manage it. During the check-in process I was equipped with gloves and rain pants which I definitely needed. 10/10!!!

The weather were bad, but we feel our self in good hands and safe by Chris and his team. They were constantly focused on giving us the best experiences despite the difficult weather conditions.