Midnight - Moonlight - Sunrise on 'The Crossing'

Hi, there are few people here thinking about doing that, would you like to let us know a bit more about how hard it is? All of us have walked the crossing/circuit before, but we don't have experience of walking at night there (or anywhere else). The moonlight crossings we heard of have always been during winter on snow(which we haven't been either). Is normal head-light bright enough for the darkish rocks and scorias on the track? How cold is it possible to get? Cheers~

Yeah and what about the boogie men?? Sorry.Just kidding.

I have done this trip twice now. It probably isn't worth doing unless the weather is perfect. For that reason I suggest planning to do it at full moon say 2-3 months in a row and cancel if the weather is doubtful, that way you should get good weather on one of them. We have left Mangatepopo road end at about 1-2am and got to the top of Ngauruohoe just before sunrise. Ngauruhoe is a bloody slog for the last bit but doing it at night is probably easier than the heat of day. On a full moon you will hardly need a torch. I don't imagine you would use it on the track and probably only use it on the rocky bits on Ngauruhoe. At the top it is damn cold at sunrise, even in mid summer in good weather. Take full storm gear. After you have sat around watching the sun come up you will have every rag of clothing on. Take a hot drink too. What we have done is have breakfast on the top and then come down again and bag Tongariro for morning tea or lunch and then finally come all the way down the ridge from Tongariro to the carpark, or the hut to get some well earned sleep. Another interesting point is that on both occasions I have done this there has been someone else up there doing the same thing. You keep running into people in the gloom. It is actually quite a popular trip to do.

Info as above from pmcke. You will definitely need a headlamp in case the clouds come over. Night walking is easier than you might think, once your eyes adjust. Ngauruhoe is a hard slog. I am going over on Friday, some of us are doing the Tussock Traverse race on Sat, which is why this date has been chosen, I agree,it's usually better to be a bit more flexible with dates but can't be helped this time. Staying at Whakapapa Motor Camp. My cellphone number is 027 255 7574. Are you sure you've got something better to do pmcke? Can't tempt you with bacon and eggs on the summit??

Should drive down straight after the Lakeside concert... Hmmmm. Thinking about it. What's the weather forecast?

Cloudy with occasional showers. Easterlies. Do we trust the weather forecast this far out?

Thanks for the detailed explanation, it doesn't sound as scary as I originally thought now. Guess the main obstacle is weather... and we could only wait? These few people here are considering doing it on either Fri night or Sat night. Few of us are staying at the holiday park near the corner of 47 and 46 highway, but I will be driving down from AKL only if there is walk.

Wouldn't think too much about the weather until the actual day. As fruitbat will be there anyway she can send a text. I don't quite know how you are going to feel on Sunday after doing all this and the Tussock Traverse. last time I did this I fell asleep in the sun on the summit of Tongariro.

:-) well that is a good sunbath spot I bet. Thanks! my number is 021 142 1491 and my friend's (with few others staying at the holiday park) number is 021 656 182. Hope we will be going up with you guys! Thanks again.