Our hike across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing reached all of our expectations and more. Knowing that the weather there is very fickle, we were prepared for anything. We hoped for the best but expected the worst, especially after hearing one of our Couchsurfer hosts talk about his very foggy hike there. But it seemed that after a rainy day in Abel Tasman, the gods were on our side and we were graced with the most perfect day we could have ever asked for. Blue skies, with some gusty winds, but nothing compared to Patagonia. We were happy as could be.