Attraction Information
Tongariro National Park
Originally a gift to Queen Victoria from the Tuwharetoa Maori chief Te Heuheu Tukino IV in 1887, Tongariro National Park was the first national park in New Zealand and the fourth oldest in the world. Since its inception, the park has grown to a size of nearly 80,000 hectares (197,688 acres). The area is of religious and cultural importance to the Maoris who first occupied the area in the ninth century when they arrived from Polynesia. In particular, they believed the region’s mountains had god-like ancestors, and the core of the park centres around three active volcanoes, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and the largest, Ruapehu, which erupted in a spectacular fashion in 1995 and again in 1996. Some areas resemble a lunar landscape, which has been created by flowing lava, alongside forests and tussock lands. The Tongariro Crossing, completed by about 70,000 hikers every summer, is considered to be one of the best one-day walks in the country, offering magnificent volcanic scenery and fine views of Lake Taupo and Mount Taranaki.
Air: Wellington International Airport, then Taupo Airport. Rail: Train: National Park and Ohakune stations (from Auckland and Wellington). Road: Bus: Public services. Car: State Hwy-1 (from Auckland in the north or from Wellington in the south).
Contact Addresses
Tongariro National Park, Private Bag, Mt Ruapehu 2650, New Zealand
Tel: (07) 892 3814
or
Tongariro/Taupo Conservancy, Private Bag, Turangi, New Zealand
Tel: (07) 386 8607
Website: www.doc.govt.nz
Location
New Zealand
Air: Wellington International Airport, then Taupo Airport. Rail: Train: National Park and Ohakune stations (from Auckland and Wellington). Road: Bus: Public services. Car: State Hwy-1 (from Auckland in the north or from Wellington in the south).
Contact Addresses
Tel: (07) 892 3814
or
Tongariro/Taupo Conservancy, Private Bag, Turangi, New Zealand
Tel: (07) 386 8607
Website: www.doc.govt.nz
Location
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Family holidays There is something about the snow in Finland that makes you wonder if the locals sneak out at night and spray it with a coat of brilliant white paint – it
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for