Tongariro | Ruepehu | Ngauruhue

These are the three volcanoe peaks within Tongariro National Park, south of Taupo.

Ngauruhue is world famous after featuring in the Lord of the Rings as Mt. Doom.

Tongariro is the scenery that New Zealand is known for. You could spend your entire time in NZ just in this region and never get bored.

Tongariro National Park is both the oldest national park in New Zealand, and the most popular national park in New Zealand.

That means you won’t have any of the walks to yourself. But don’t let that discourage you.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

This one day hike is for many the very best one day walk in New Zealand, and possibly in the entire world.

Craters, lakes and countryside all feature in this spectacular day walk.

Yes, the Tongariro Crossing is quite a challenging walk. But you expect that in a volcanic terrain, and even though it’s only a day walk you should go prepared for unexpected weather changes.

How long the walk takes you will depend on your fitness level and how many times you stop for photos and admiring the landscape!

As a guide, someone with an average level of fitness with some hiking experience should plan for an 8 hour walk on the Tongariro Crossing.