Tongariro National Park: world-class hiking and geological drama

Few places on Earth offer world-class hiking amid raw geological drama like Tongariro National Park.

Rising above the North Island’s smouldering volcanic core, this immense and active landscape provides hikers with a rare glimpse into the planet’s inner workings—up-close encounters with hissing thermal vents, emerald-coloured mineral lakes and jagged lava forms—all in the shadow of slumbering volcanoes.

This constantly evolving landscape is home to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which is often ranked among the world’s top one-day hikes. The Alpine Crossing takes walkers across wind-swept saddles between volcanoes, traversing surreal landscapes filled with moon-like craters, ancient lava flows and vivid mineral pools. Between May and late October, the often snow-cloaked alpine hike offers a wintery experience for experienced alpine explorers and guided groups.

For those seeking the park’s quieter corners, multi-day trails circle the trio of peaks dominating the horizon—Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe —leading hikers to remote huts and campsites.

The three-day Tongariro Northern Circuit, through lonely valleys, includes the moonscape landscapes of Oturere Valley, featuring jagged lava forms spilling eastward onto desert plains. Alternatively, the Round the Mountain Track offers nearly a week of true wilderness around Mount Ruapehu, traversing mountain beech forests and vast tussock lands to remote huts.

The same gateways that lead hikers deep into the park also provide easy access to shorter walks around Whakapapa and Ohakune—the two main entry points into the national park. Short walks range from leisurely 15-minute strolls, such as the Whakapapa Nature Walk, to several-hour hikes across ancient lava flows, leading to alpine waterfalls or following snow-fed streams beneath native beech forest.

Whakapapa Visitor Centre

At the Whakapapa Visitor Centre, visitors can delve into the park’s geological story—from its fiery origins to recent eruptions and discover how native plants and birds have adapted to the surrounding rugged, high-altitude environment.

Accommodation options cluster around both trailheads and the nearby communities of Tūrangi and Waimarino. As the regional hub, Taupō is also a popular base.

Local operators provide guided hikes and shuttle connections throughout the park, including the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, while multi-day tracks depart from both gateways with parking available.

UNESCO Dual World Heritage Site

Tongariro is recognised as a UNESCO Dual World Heritage Site, acknowledging both its unique geological features and profound cultural heritage. The park's peaks are deeply revered, and their origins are steeped in Māori mythology. The explorer and spiritual guide Ngātoro-i-rangi, chilled by winds on Tongariro, called upon his Hawaiki sisters for aid, who sent fire, channelled underground by mythical taniwha, to ignite the volcanic heart of the mountain.

This enduring land was eventually secured for all people through a powerful act of guardianship by Ngāti Tūwharetoa chief Te Heuheu Tūkino IV, who gifted the mountain tops to the nation in 1887—seven years before Tongariro became New Zealand's first national park.

One-day hike | Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Often ranked among the world’s top one-day hikes, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing stretches nearly 20 kilometres across a surreal, fiery landscape. Boardwalks wind through a glacier-carved valley to the wind-swept saddle between two active volcanoes: the cone-shaped Ngāuruhoe and nearby Tongariro. The Crossing traverses barren, moon-like craters, lava flows dotted with sub-alpine shrubs and the sparkling Emerald Lakes. Unpredictable weather and dramatic elevation require hikers to be fit and to respect the alpine conditions' changeability.

Multi-Day hike | Tongariro Northern Loop

Spanning three days, the Tongariro Northern Loop steps beyond the well-trodden Crossing trail into lonely valleys of otherworldly rock formations and remote backcountry huts. It includes all the highlights of the Crossing, plus the desert-like eastern plains of Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe—volcanic relics eroded by glaciers. The loop returns to Whakapapa Village, passing Tama Lakes, explosion craters filled with rainwater that reflect Ngāuruhoe at sunset. Along the way, you can stop at the historic Waihohonu Hut, where intrepid early explorers once pioneered alpine skiing on Ruapehu’s slopes.

Week-long hike | The Round the Mountain Track  

For maximum solitude, the flanks of the park’s largest mountain, Mount Ruapehu, offer nearly a week of immersion in alpine wilderness. The Round the Mountain Track showcases the volcano’s dramatic variety—river gorges, alpine tussock, mountain beech forests, and the park’s highest waterfalls. Hikers traverse fragile alpine wetlands and shallow tarns via boardwalks en route to remote huts perched above vast volcanic plains that offer shelter and sweeping views. Up to six days on this track reveals Ruapehu’s wild backcountry, combining alpine vegetation, cratered ridges and river crossings for a genuine wilderness experience.