The Tongariro Crossing is described as one of the Top 10 Day-hikes in the world and it is truly spectacular. It was going to be a big challenge for me, as it was less than nine months since my total knee replacement. However, all the hiking we had done on the South Island had been good preparation and I felt confident I could handle the 20 km distance with over 1000 m of climbing and 1300 m descent. As you can imagine, this is a very popular hike; and many people had been waiting all week for the weather to clear. We opted to stage our car the end of the trail and take the Shuttle Bus from Ketetahi Carpark to the trailhead at Mangatepopo. That way, I knew I would not be pushed for time on the trail to try to catch a return shuttle. We were on our way before daybreak to stage the car on the other side of the mountain and already the line of parked cars stretched more than a kilometer down the road from the trail end. The Tongariro Alpine Shuttle bus stopped as we were parking to see if we were booked with their company. When we said we were, but on a later shuttle, they offered to pick us up when they came back down the road if there was room. Good to their word, they picked us up which allowed us to start hiking an hour earlier. We joined a cast of thousands in Mangetepopo. With the sun just rising, frost on the ground and a steady stream of hikers making their way towards the volcanos towering over us, it was a pretty amazing sight. We passed and were passed by many of the same people as we slowly wended our way upwards. With the bright colors of rock, rugged terrain and a brilliant blue sky, it was a photographer's dream. When we reached the rim of the Red Crater, we stopped for lunch. Ted announced (as I knew he would) that he was going to make the side trip and climb up to the summit (adding another 3 km to the already 20 km of the Crossing). Initially, I said I would wait there; but as he disappeared over the ridge above me, I shouldered my pack and headed for the summit (as he knew I would). It was well worth the climb, as the view was spectacular - Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu beside us, Lake Taupo to the east, and Mt Taranaki in the west. The steep scree descent from the Red Crater to the Emerald Lakes was a bit amusing, as most people had no idea how to descend in scree. I was a little hesitant initially with my knee, but in the end had no problem at all. The Emerald Lakes surrounded by smoking fumaroles was very dramatic. Then off across the last crater to the climb up to the Blue Lake. From there it was all downhill. Much to our surprise, the track has been graded and plastic honeycomb mats set into the clay to protect the trail and provide footing when it rains. I was able to change over to my walking sandals for some of the descent - a great relief to my toes! By the time we got back to the car (a km down the road) and including our side trip to the summit (not to mention lots of photo stops) we had covered 24 km in just over 8 hours. It was a big achievement for me. Recovering from the knee surgery has been a long and arduous process, but the result has been worth it. We celebrated with a delicious dinner at the Chateau Tongariro at Whakapapa.