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National park in New Zealand
Photo: Ma5912 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tongariro National Park, in the central North Island of New Zealand, contains the three active volcanoes of Mount Ruapehu (the island's highest peak), Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe. It is one of the North Island's most popular areas for day tramping, multi-day tramping and snow sports. The island's two main skifields are on Ruapehu. The park was New Zealand's first national park and is a World Heritage site.
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Short (up to 2 hours) summer volcanic walks.
Climb to the Dome summit overlooking the Crater Lake. The crater may erupt at any time. As of May 2016 the Department of Conservation recommends not going beyond the Dome equipment shed, or inside the crater basin within 400m of the lake.
There is a range of walks, from the very short to a week long. From the Visitor Centre there are several short treks (half day or less). Taranaki Falls (approximately 3 hours) is a great walk that takes you through forest and across scrubland and even across the lava line of past volcanic explosions.
An excellent place from which to do the Crossing without spending ages on a bus, as it is half way between the start and finish points. Has tent sites, powered sites for campervans, cabins ranging from basic to en suite, and two self-contained units with TV, shower, queen bed and cooking facilities. Site facilities include hot showers, laundry, communal kitchen with oven, hobs, TV and games room and a spa.
The nearest towns to the park are National Park Village, Ohakune, Raetihi, Turangi, and Waiouru. These can be easily reached by car, as they lie on the four highways encircling the park.
Read in the guideThe Department of Conservation (DOC) no longer likes people to leave their cars at the Mangatepopo end of the Tongariro Crossing due to a high number of thefts, so the shuttles from Ketetahi at the end of the day do not…
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