Mt Ruapehu, still an active volcano, in the beautiful Tongariro National Park



The start of our hike at approximately 1500m



Ok, let's go now !!



Such a sunny day for us but not for the rest of the country which is under the clouds



Mt Ruapehu is the largest ski area in New Zealand !



The boss at work :O)



It's a rocky and steep way but every step is more beautiful than the previous



We are walking on ash that is the result of the 1996 eruption of the volcano !!



We're starting to see the top !



Ok, now we're talking serious business here ! :O)



A fantastic view over Mt Ngauruhoe, the second of the three volcanos that form Tongariro National Park



Baby is suffering but she's doing a great job !



Beautiful rock formations !



A break as we are getting closer and closer to the top !



The contrast between the ice and the color of the rock is quite beautiful!



The more ice we can see, the closer to the top it means we are ;o)



My baby, always with a smile on her face !



Mt Tanaraki, another volcano, in the distance...



Wow, finally the top ! What an incredible crater we are about to walk on !



Walking on the crater on our way to the active crater lake on the other side. Top of the pictures you can see an emergency shelter we hope not to have to use :O)



Looking over my shoulder, we're almost past the first crater



Mt Ruapehu's top is also a glacier which is our path to the way down...



We are at 2590m above sea level on an active volcano. Unbelievable for us !



We can now see the second crater...



...here we are, the crater lake is beautiful. Unfortunately we can't go too close, since we're a bit short of time.



Stewart, our great guide, is informing us about incoming strong winds. which means we have to start our descent now.



On the way down through the glacier !



Back to 2000m, Baby, Stewart and myself ready for our lunch after a 6-hour walk !



The clouds have almost covered Whakapapa village at the bottom...what a perfect timing ! :O).



Baby ! You did it ! The end was hard but you can be so proud of yourself !



We couldn't hope for a better day than the one we've had ! Thank you Stewart for your patience !! Climbing Mt Ruapehu is for sure one of the highlights of our entire trip !