Stunning alpine and volcanic scenery which rates up there with the Tongariro crossing, without the crowds:we didn't see anyone all day.Climb down the front of an old lava flow,through streams, cross a

glacial valley,emerge from beech forest onto the scoured out path of a lahar.From the far side of Lake Surprise Mt Ruapehu is reflected like an infinity pool ( worth doing this on a calm day for the best effect).Through spring and early summer while the mountain is still snowy,the real surprise is that this scene isn't somewhere in the Southern Alps but in the heart of the North Island, only 4 hrs drive from Auckland or Wellington.

Reviewed about 12 years ago and experienced in April 2012