If you’re visiting Tongariro National Park in New Zealand, you’re most likely wanting to take on the very popular day hike, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. (Unless you’re like me, have no idea what the plan is, find out at 10 pm the night before that we need to book a shuttle, and that it would probably have been a good idea to pack real hiking shoes and not Nike Frees.) This 11-mile, point-to-point hike takes you through a variety of terrain, elevation, and weather. I should have done more research before I showed up in New Zealand with neither hiking shoes nor a clue. Learn from my mistakes and read my tips for taking on this epic hike!   My top 5 tips for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing Book your shuttle in advance - we used Tongariro Crossing Shuttle Wear good hiking shoes, and bring extra socks Dress in layers Pack a lot of snacks to eat along the way Bring toilet paper and plastic bags for garbage Tip #1: Book your shuttle in advance We arrived in Turangi on a rainy, mid-spring evening in late October. Turangi is an interesting little town of about 3500 people. We were eating at Rust, a pretty decent place for dinner. It has a full bar and all kinds of burgers, including veggie burgers. We started talking about the next day's plans. My friend had seen some pictures of crystal blue lakes against a volcanic backdrop, in Tongariro National Park. This was our main reason for putting it on the itinerary. What we didn’t know Continue Reading