31. Traveling by Sleeper Van (Part 7), 25% with Tongariro Mountain

I was heading to the next city that I thought was interesting, driving along the western coastline. So, the view on the left was the vast, desolate sea. Normally, when I was in this mood, I drove at a speed of about 70. Not because I was afraid of driving fast, but because I didn't know why I should hurry when the view while driving was so pleasing to the eyes. I hardly ever turned on the air conditioning in this car, and I didn't even know if it still works well. Maybe it was because I got it in winter, and it was still spring at that time, which I felt still cold. Just cracking the driver's window about 1-2 centimeters was enough to get a breath of fresh air from outside.

          As the sun began to set, I started looking for a place to stay. I didn't ask for much, just a parking spot that wasn't too muddy and a bathroom to use in the morning. As for food, if I didn't mind a lack of novelty and exquisite taste, I had plenty. I also had a full tank of drinking water, and I had prepared spare gasoline and engine oil. I needed to check the engine oil level and refill it regularly for long trips like this. If the car were in normal condition, it wouldn't run out so quickly. But it was just a temporary fix, and I might have to spend a bit more on engine oil.

                    For today, I came across a cliff by the seaside, adjacent to a very quiet village. The parking spot where I plan to park tonight was merely a viewpoint where I felt safe, even though my car was the only one parked there. I just love the feeling of waking up in the morning, brewing hot coffee, and drinking it with an apple or bread. At the same time, I sit and watch the nature around me—the sun, the sea, the sound of birds, the green grass, and the perfect blend of things that no one designed because they just happened naturally. This feeling is so charming. Sometimes, I feel like I'm addicted to these things, things that I don't have to exert effort or make any attempt to obtain. I just sit still and let my mind drift with the scene in front of me.

          From there, I continued my journey to the famous Tongariro mountain range, known for being a filming location for the movie Lord of the Rings. Actually, I'm not a die-hard fan; I'd just heard people talk about it. The reason I came here was to meet a friend I had met in Wanganui. He had mentioned he was working at a backpackers' hostel around here, and since it was on my way, I decided to stop by and see him.

          We strolled along the paths, exchanging information. In my view, this place is quite popular with tourists, even though the weather was still chilly. After parting ways with my friends, I didn't have any specific plans on where to go next, except to wait for the hike tomorrow. Normally, it takes a whole day to walk across the mountain range from one side to the other. Tourists have to park their cars on one side and then walk to the other side before returning to get their cars, either with other tourists or by using the local bus service.

          At that time, it was three in the afternoon with a gloomy and rainy atmosphere, which is typical for the early spring. So, I thought it would be a good idea to explore the starting point for tomorrow's hike. With that in mind, I left the city and headed toward the starting point of the Tongariro mountain range.

          When I arrived at the parking lot, I noticed two cars parked there, with no one in them. There were clear signs prohibiting fires and overnight stays. In a volcanic area like this, there might be some gasses with flammable properties, and the prohibition on overnight stays is likely for safety reasons.

          Actually, when I arrived, it was already late afternoon. So, I thought, well, I might as well take a walk to kill some time since I didn't know what else to do. I figured I would walk a bit and then walk back, and tomorrow I could go up again more seriously. Because anyway, if I were to be serious now, it would probably be too late. Normally, I'd heard it takes about 6-8 hours to cross from one side to the other.

          I started walking leisurely, with the surrounding scenery consisting of rocky slopes, and a stream flowing not far from the path. I didn't notice many plants, perhaps because it had just passed through a winter season covered in snow. Although the snow has mostly melted now, if you look up at the mountain peak, you can still see some snow cover, even if it doesn't blend in completely. I walked on until I reached a spring, which is water that bursts out due to underground pressure. At first, I thought it would be hot, but when I touched it with my hand, I found it was just ordinary cold water.

          After walking past that point for a while, I had the chance to meet three travelers walking toward me. They must have started their journey from the other side in the morning. When we stopped to chat, they were surprised to see me alone in an outfit that didn't seem suitable for climbing a mountain, as I was wearing jeans and ordinary shoes. Meanwhile, they had both winter jackets and raincoats, along with shoes specifically designed for walking on snow. They advised me not to go up, especially in this outfit, because the weather up there was extremely harsh. They even showed me a video recorded on their phone, which depicted a mix of rain, wind, and snow. Yes, it did look really harsh. So, I told them that I wasn't planning to walk all the way up; I just wanted to take a walk as practice for tomorrow.

          After parting ways with them, I continued on my path. A thought flashed through my mind, "Isn't that enough... "Tomorrow, just come back," another voice would counter, "Just a little more, you're almost at the point where you'll touch the snow for the first time. Look, it's not far now." From there, the distance that was once flat began to steepen. If I estimate by feeling, I'd probably been walking for almost an hour now. And since I met those three, I hadn't encountered anyone else coming down. The atmosphere was gloomy because it was an overcast evening. I encouraged myself to walk a little more and a little more, to reach the point where I could see the white ice blocks.

          To be honest, I'm not someone who can tolerate the cold very well, even though I do enjoy the winter atmosphere. And although I've never actually touched real snow and would like to try it at least once, imagining myself walking in the snow still makes me feel a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, I pushed myself to an area where there were still some ice crystals that hadn't completely melted, and finally, I got to touch naturally formed ice for the first time. And even though it wasn't real snow, it was still very satisfying for me.

          When I looked up the path that would lead to the higher ridge, I couldn't see more than 50 meters ahead because the top was completely shrouded in mist. From where I stood, the desire to climb higher had faded away. This was probably because I felt I had already experienced what I had been curious about. Another reason was that I questioned myself about why I would need to put myself through such hardship when I was already satisfied with where I stood. Alright! It's time to walk back.

          Even though I was able to walk faster on the way back than on the way up, the setting sun didn't make me feel like I was making good time. My phone's battery was completely dead, which means the idea of using the flashlight from my phone was also out of the question. However, I had already passed the steep mountain section when it got completely dark. By "completely dark," I mean so dark that I could barely see anything. Fortunately, there were still wooden paths to walk on, so at least I was confident I wasn't straying off the path. But the real thrill came when the wooden path ended, and it was just a regular gravel path.

          In an environment devoid of any large trees, with only patches of grass and lines of gravel, in a moonless and overcast sky, I could hardly tell if I was walking on the designated path or had strayed off it. Anxiety began to build up, and I couldn't help but chuckle at myself (how did we end up here?). But my feet kept moving. Sadly, not even the area where I parked my car had any light seeping through. I faced that situation for a while until I got close enough to vaguely see the structures, which were the starting point and parking lot.

          My heart started to feel lighter. I hurried to the car because I was both very hungry and thirsty, and I felt weak and exhausted. The thing I grabbed from the back of the car was a can of spaghetti. Once I managed to sit in the driver's seat, hoping to finally have my first bite, I was disappointed to find that this brand of spaghetti was the kind that needed a can opener, as it didn't have the pull tab like the tuna cans I was familiar with. It dawned on me why this brand was cheaper than the others. I had to get out of the car and go to the back to find a can opener again. Once the can was opened, whether it was in the dark, due to exhaustion, or the food being ice-cold, it didn't matter anymore. When your body is at the point of extreme hunger, the taste is another matter. At least now I was chewing it in my mouth and slowly swallowing it bite by bite.

          After the spaghetti with tomato sauce was finished, all non-urgent activities were cut out because I felt too exhausted to want to do anything else. Once I finished rinsing my mouth and locked the car door, the only place I hoped to reach as soon as possible was the bed in the back of the car. At that moment, even though there were restrictions against overnight stays, I didn't care anymore. It wasn't that I wanted to break the rules, but because it seemed like there wouldn't be any problems. After all, I wasn't causing any trouble for the area. And due to my exhaustion, no thoughts popped into my head anymore. So, I easily fell asleep that night.

          The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a car driving in and parking nearby. Although I woke up later than usual, it was still early. At that time, I had no watch to check the time since all the battery-operated devices in the car had completely run out of power. But that wasn't a problem at all because I had no appointments to rush to. I walked to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face to feel refreshed for the new day. When I walked back to the car, I saw a tour bus full of tourists just turning in. They probably hoped to conquer the famous peak today, but I was already satisfied. Even though I had never stood on the peak, I was truly content. I was just happy being myself. I got in the car and drove away peacefully.

          Sometimes the allure of a mountain doesn't lie in climbing it, but perhaps in seeing it from a distance. Because shortly after I drove out from the Tongariro entrance, I parked my car by the roadside near that area to brew coffee and enjoy breakfast. Having a hot cup of coffee in hand, with soft bread and a view of the towering mountains before me—grand and powerful—was enough to make the spring morning, still cool, feel bright and relaxing. Even though I have never reached the summit of that mountain, being at this spot in the morning with a warm cup of coffee in hand, the fact that I have never conquered the Tongariro summit, despite having arrived, doesn't affect my feelings at all. The view before me was enough to make me feel good, having had the opportunity to visit this place at least once.