Location: Tongariro National Park
Author: Emily Steiner
Participants: Emily Steiner, Ella Speers, James Killick, Ben Ward, Hayden Noyce, Rishi Adiga
Date: 21st - 23rd June, 2024

'Twas the night of Winter Solstice, when all through National Park
Not a creature was stirring in the foreboding dark;
All boots and packs hung outside huts with care,
While six intrepid trampers climbed the Devil’s Stairs;
Other hikers were nestled all snug in their beds;
While the Moonlight Crossers put helmets on heads;
With courage and mettle, we gained the Summit Plateau,
And escaped our busy lives to a world turning slow,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a possum in the bush with absolutely no fear,

Alone in the night, we climbed up to Red Crater,
We froze off our asses, but warmth would come later.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
We slid down to the lakes so lively and quick,
But the sharp smell of sulphur made me feel fucking sick.

Looking up we saw the lights of Rishi and Ben,
As they quickly descended down to the glen.

We kept marching on and up to Blue Lake,
When the fog made its entrance, of course, for God’s Sake!
But before it wrapped around us, we were able to spy,
The stars of Matariki, shining in the sky;
So onwards we trudged, with spirits anew
With our packs full of food, and way too much goon—
As we made it over to the side of Ketatahi,
A pat on the back for our hard earned mahi
As I struggled on sidling North Crater around,
Down the track Hayden came, each step with a bound.
And with him came Ella, sharing cheesy bread,
“Not long to go now!”, At least, that’s what she said.
On the horizon the sun, it started to shine,
And I saw at least three 7k to go signs,

We finally stepped into beginnings of brush,
And the trees thickened quickly, and the ferns were so lush.
As we neared the finale of this walk of great fame,
And reached the carpark, first finished was James,
But it wasn’t over yet, with cars left at both ends,
Until we were gifted a hitch by some new Danish friends.
And the sun rose up swiftly, as we reached our safe keep,
At Mangatepopo Hut, we could finally sleep.
But we cried to each other, before rest was in sight—
“Happy Solstice to all, and to all a good night!”
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