Discovery!

We arrived at Tongariro National Park in the evening. We're staying at Discovery, which is pretty much the best place ever! In fact, Discovery is so great that it requires its own post :)


Discovery Center is a lodge and camping resort located in Tongariro National Park. It is the closest accommodation to the Tongariro volcanoes and the famous Tongariro Crossing. With a gorgeous view of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngāuruhoe, and Mount Ruapehu, there is no other sign of civilization in sight. You are really out camping alone in the volcanic New Zealand wilderness. Discovery is also the most comfortable place you could ask for when camping- perfectly manicured lawns, a fantastic shower and bathroom facility, a fully furnished kitchen, a cozy lounge and TV room, a restaurant and bar- basically it was this dirty and tired backpacker's oasis in the desert! 

Here's the best part: Discovery is owned and operated by Callum Harland. He's an athlete, an entrepreneur, and a committed servant whose passion for Tongariro visibly runs through every fiber of his being. This guy is top stuff! 


Callum was born in the Ruapehu district and has spent his whole life here. He is an international mountain running athlete! He represented New Zealand five times at the World Mountain Running Championships, winning a team silver in 2005 and a team bronze in 2000. The Tongariro Crossing and Mount Ruapehu are two of his favorite training spots. The famous Tongariro Crossing is a 6 to 8 hour day hike, with an 800 meter elevation change on the way up and a 1100 meter elevation change on the way down. Callum's best time for running the Tongariro Crossing is one hour and 25 minutes! Unbelievable!

I spent very enjoyable hours in the evenings talking with Callum and his lifetime running coach Barry about mountain running and about starting and running Callum's business. I also spent time playing with Callum's precious little blonde hair, blue-eyed children, Abel and Ediana (5 and 3 years old respectively). Haha it was pretty much impossible not to play with these little ones- they are true wilderness kids, playing on the volcanic terrain with bare feet and naming all of the plants and bugs that they find.

Basically, this land fell into Callum and his brother's hands, as a family was selling it and no businesses would buy it. Callum and his brother saw opportunity and spent years building and refurbishing the resort. As an owner and operator of a resort, Callum is the best you can possibly find. He knows the area the best, has excellent recommendations for hikes in the National Park, and provides genuine, friendly, and personal advice and care for all of his guests. I was nervous about hiking the Crossing, mainly due to all of the warnings about the unpredictable and rapidly changing weather, but Callum helped me feel reassured by providing great tips for how to be prepared for the severe conditions. Coming from someone who runs the Crossing every week, how could you not trust his judgment and advice? 

Another thing I liked about Discovery is that Callum runs the  earliest shuttle to the Crossing, leaving the lodge at 5:45am when all other campsites do not leave until 8am. At first I found this a bit extreme, but the early shuttle makes so much sense (and as athlete to athlete, I couldn't help but appreciate his early-riser mentality)! Arriving at the Crossing at 6am, you get to enjoy the track and take in the scenery without any of the other hundreds of hikers in your way. All you have are the 20 other Discovery Lodge guests that were dropped off with you. You also have the pleasure of watching the sun rise from behind Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngāuruhoe, and you make the steep 800 meter ascent in the shade and cool morning air before the oppressive sun rises high in the sky. By the time it gets to the hottest part of the day, you are already on the long and leisurely 1100 meter decent. So smart! In our case, Brandon and I were planning to take a three hour detour from the Crossing in order to summit Mount Ngauruhoe, and I was glad that we would be making our climb before it got too hot.

Now, Callum is dreaming of opening a cafe across the road. But he doesn't see it as just any cafe, but a world class cafe! He wants it to be a place thT someone can spend the whole day enjoying- great views, great food, fun activities, relaxing atmosphere. The goal is that once someone is there, they won't want to leave! Seeing how Callum runs Discovery, I can understand why :)

All in all, I highly recommend Discovery Center. It is amazing! Friendly and warm staff, family-run and family-oriented, professional and well kept appearance, personal service, genuine care for guests and the customer experience, flexible check out procedure, extremely clean and spacious facilities, cozy computer and TV room, indoor picnic area and lounge with couches, well equipped kitchen, it fits to your needs and more! All it's really missing is a pool and hot tub, but I'll go back to Discovery in a few years, install a pool, and be the pool manager :) Nevertheless, I suppose that sitting out on the deck enjoying a drink after the Crossing, watching the setting sun casts hues of red and purple on Mount Ngauruhoe while chatting with Callum and Barry was a great way to end the day too!