The Return of the Mob to "Mordor" — Dispatches from the 45°S

When we were in New Zealand in November - December 2017, we saw on Brent’s mom’s TV that tourist overcrowding was getting pretty bad not only in the spots on the South Island where we visited, but also in parts of the North Island, particularly the Tongariro National Park.

Tongariro National Park was never a big deal in New Zealand according to Brent who never heard of it growing up. That is, until Lord of the Rings showed up and made Mount Ngauruhoe, the youngest volcanic vent in the Tongariro Volcanic complex, into Mordor - the mountain where the Ring of Power needs to be taken by the brave Hobbits.

Fast forward a few years and the Kiwis announce a plan to contain the crowds of predominantly European tourists who flock to Tongeriro every summer to do the Alpine crossing to “Mount Doom”. The New Zealand Wilderness magazine estimates that in peak season, up to 3,000 trekkers do the crossing in one day. And that’s on a trail that’s 19km / 12 miles long. Assuming most people start hiking early in the morning, that’s approximately 250 people per mile or 158 people per kilometer. Hardly the New Zealand “wilderness”.

The plan to bring the crowd scene under control includes curbing parking to a 4 hour max, purposefully not sufficient to allow parking during the crossing, and forcing people to take shuttles to the hike. The crossing itself is a point to point, necessitating transportation arrangements at both ends.

Our humble hut at Discovery Campground in Tongariro National Park.  I didn't bother taking a photo of the mountains in the evening when we arrived. Little did we know that this was our last chance of a photo before the whole mountain range beca… — Our humble hut at Discovery Campground in Tongariro National Park. I didn't bother taking a photo of the mountains in the evening when we arrived. Little did we know that this was our last chance of a photo before the whole mountain range became shrouded in a rainy cloud the following day...

It wasn’t until we checked into our bunk room hut at the Discovery Campground in Tongeriro that the scale of the problem became clear. It wasn’t only that New Zealand is getting mobbed with LOR fans, but some of these fans had no intention of abiding by the new crowd restricting measures if it is going to cost them even a cent more.

At the check-in, the wife of the owner has all the arrangements clearly laid out - shuttle to and from the crossing is an extra fee per person. The shuttle leaves at 5:45am and updated weather forecast is given at the briefing. There are multiple maps showing the distance from the campground to both ends of the crossing and the absence of parking. That’s the reason we’re staying for two nights and paying for the shuttle - the only way to accomplish the crossing these days without getting fined or towed.

A German father and son are taking their sweet time getting oriented, asking all kinds of basic questions and complaining about the restrictions. Brent has no patience for this - he rolls his eyes, makes an annoyed comment under his breath and leaves to wait in the car while I stay and watch the Germans. They pay cash for one night at the campground - they will sleep in their car. The woman at the checkin asks them what their plan is for the crossing. They inquire about the price of the shuttle and make loud comments about how ridiculous the price is “for 5 kilometers”. They ask if they can park at the trail head. She patiently explains that the 4 hour parking limit will not allow them enough time to do the crossing. They grunt and say they’ll bike from the campground. Not even mentioning the obvious issue of where they’ll leave their bikes and how they’ll pick them up, the woman asks them where they plan to leave their car since checkout is at 10am and the crossing requires 6 hours. With an evasive wave of the hand, the Germans leave.

The woman, turning to me, warns me that it will rain tomorrow and wants to know if we have proper rain jackets. Just the other day the helicopter had to airlift someone who got hypothermia on the crossing, she explains. With a sigh, she says that people come totally unprepared and hike in $3 plastic ponchos. And that’s in an alpine area where the weather can change quickly.

In the kitchen, it’s bursting with European backpackers. It seems to be 90% German with a smattering of French. There’s also the cute little Scottish family of rock climbers who are traveling with their 3 year old and 7 month old boys. They did the crossing with the children, the mother explains as she stirs the dahl on the stove while rocking the baby in her other hand. It was a very well paved and padded track, she says. Two French women are eyeing the couches in the dining room. The following night, not wanting to pitch a tent in the pouring rain, they’ll sleep in the common area.

I am torn - on one hand, I understand budget traveling. It wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t afford much travel. On the other hand, going to a different country to enjoy its natural beauty should come with a degree of responsibility. In the US, it costs $25 just to enter Yosemite National Park and it costs more to secure permits to walk up Half Dome. That’s one way to prevent overcrowding and fund the perseveration of nature for future generations.

At the end of the day, we didn’t do the crossing. We got up at 5am to heavy rain and to thick low clouds shrouding the volcanos. Instead, we did a few hikes around a lake and through some bush and waterfalls. I think we’ll save the Tongeriro Crossing for the shoulder season (fall or spring) when we can strap on our crampons and not have to elbow 250 other people every mile.