Tongariro National Park New Zealand Adventure South run good value New Zealand Tours including Rotorua and Tongariro. e.g. Cycling, Multi Activities, a North Island Tour and a 5 day Tongariro Hiking Trip Mt Ruapehu seen from Whakapapa village, Tongariro NP, New Zealand. Photo James Shook. New Zealand Travel Guide | New Zealand Map | New Zealand Tours

Tongariro National Park, in the middle of New Zealand's North Island, is a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing three active volcanoes, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, all sacred to the Maori

A trail towards the Ngauruhoe volcano in Tongariro National Park.
© Jiri Kulhanek, Dreamstime.

One of Tongariro's easy-to-reach, short-stroll sights, a shallow rock cave with permanent mini-waterfall.

In the summertime the Tongariro area sees a lot of hiking and climbing as well as mountain biking, horse riding, fishing and rafting, while the winter is when the snow birds fly downhill on skis and boards.

Mount Ngauruhoe.

Tongariro NP is equidistant between New Zealand's two biggest cities, Auckland [330 kms/206 mls to the north] and Wellington the capital [320 kms/200 mls to the south]. The only accommodation inside the park is at Whakapapa or Iwikau tourist villages, though the latter is almost exclusively for the skiing season.

On the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trail.

The most famous hike in the area is the 3/4 day, 50km Tongariro Northern Circuit, one of New Zealand's Great Walks, incorporating the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which takes about a day. Best December - March.

Standing, kind of, on Mt Ruapehu with Mount Ngauruhoe in the distance. Click for Rotorua.
© Five678, Dreamstime.

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