Central Plateau Region

The three main active volcanoes of the Tongaririo National Park, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, rise majestically above the North Island's volcanic plateau. These mountains have emerged along the line of a huge rift between two of the continually moving continental plates that make up the Earth's crust. This fault line runs right across the North Island and all the way out to sea to White Island, which is another active volcano in the chain off the coast of the Bay of Plenty. The blast and volcanic debris from the massive eruptions that created Lake Taupo nearly 2000 years ago, destroyed forests for hundreds of miles, but in the lee of Mt Ruapehu a tiny pocket of these ancient forests survived, today providing a glimpse back in time to what the land would have been like before the eruptions.One of the main reasons Tongariro National Park is
considered a special area is because of its volcanic features. Although volcanic events are often spectacular to view at a safe distance, there can be considerable risk for those who venture close to the activity. Visitors should be aware that volcanic activity is possible in this region at any time, and with little or no warning.Anyone intending to tramp or climb on the upper slopes of the volcanoes should first check the current volcanic alert status and any recommended safety information for the area. During times of volcanic activity trampers and skiers should move to high ground and out of valleys to avoid lahar danger.

Taupo - Turangi Sunrise

1Turangi

The trip starts at Turangi 49 km south from Taupo on SH1. From Taupo the road passes a number of scenic bays along the lake as well as the Waitahanui, Tauranga Taupo, Waimarino and Waiotaka Rivers, all of which are popular locations for trout fishing.
In 1965 Turangi became the construction centre for the Tongariro power project and has since developed into a thriving commercial and tourist centre at the southern end of Lake Taupo. The Tongariro River nearby, is a popular location for fishing, kayaking and white water rafting.

2tongariro national trout centre

Head south from Turangi 2.5 km on SH1 to the Tongariro National Trout Centre on the left.
Located on the banks of the Tongariro River, the National Trout Centre features displays and information on trout spawning activity. The Waihukahuka Stream, which runs through the park, has an underwater viewing chamber enabling visitors to get a close look at wild trout in their natural habitat. These trout would have swum up the river from Lake Taupo.

3Tokaanu

Return to Turangi and drive 4.9 km west on SH41 to Tokaanu. The hot pools are on Mangaroa Street.
Most of the thermal springs in New Zealand are scattered throughout the active Taupo Volcanic Zone in the central North Island. The Waihi springs near Tokaanu were visited in 1844 by the artist, naturalist and writer George French Angas who wrote, “The medicinal properties of these hot mineral springs preserve the natives in a healthy state, and render their skins beautifully smooth and clear.” The government later purchased land at Tokaanu but the main bathing pool was reserved for the people of the Ngati Tuwharetoa. Tokaanu was originally a mission settlement, with its armed constabulary post later becoming a hotel on the grand tourist route that was developed from Wanganui to Tauranga in the 1880s and early 1900s. Tourists arrived by stage coach from Waiouru, staying the night at Tokaanu before departing for Taupo by steam launch. The hot pools were a popular attraction on the route for many years and today you can still visit the pools as well as the historic jetty on the shoreline at the southern end of the lake. Located near the shores of the lake, the Tokaanu Thermal Park has both private and public thermal pools, and huge trout can be seen swimming in the cool waters of the stream. A short boardwalk leads around a series of mud pools and steaming hot mineral pools set in sinter basins. You can also still see signs of thermal activity in the hills near Tokaanu, where steam rises from numerous hotspots in the bush.

4waihi

This Maori settlement is 2 km further northwest on SH41 at the end of Waihi Road which is a private road.
Waihi is an important centre for Ngati Tuwharetoa and the home of the Te Heuheu family. The settlement sits at the base of Kakaramea mountain with the Hipaua geothermal area visible on its lower slopes. The Waihi Stream descends from the mountain including a waterfall on its path to the lake. In 1846 a landslide brought a mountain of mud down from Hipaua burying the settlement of Te Rapa, killing Tuwharetoa paramount chief Mananui Te Heuheu and many others. In the 1850s Waihi became a base for Anglican missionaries in the central North Island and today the steepled, white-painted Catholic church, dating from 1889, is a distinctive landmark looking out over the shores of the lake. The church features stained-glass windows showing a Maori Jesus and Mary. Adrian Langerwerf, a Catholic missionary based at Tokaanu and Waihi from 1905, wanted to see the local Ngati Tuwharetoa prosper materially as well as spiritually. With the help of volunteers, he organized the construction of a hydroelectric plant, which by 1919 was supplying power to a butter factory that he had helped found, as well as to every home in Waihi, which was a rare thing in the rural areas in those days.

Sparkling, secluded Lake Rotopounamu

5lake rotopounamu

From Tokaanu return southeast on SH41 2.1 km towards Turangi and turn right onto SH47. The road leads up over the hills and through the forest covering the slopes of Mt Pihanga with views across Lake Taupo. Continue 7.3 km to the start of the Lake Rotopounamu Track on the left as the road descends towards Lake Rotoaira.
Surrounded by forest, Lake Rotopounamu is tucked away in a sheltered location below Mt Pihanga. It only takes 30 minutes to walk to the edge of the lake but you can continue and explore the entire lake on the loop track which leads through luxuriant bird filled forests to a number of sandy beaches. It takes about 2 hours to walk the 5 km around the lake.

Opataka-Rotoaira

6opataka

Continue southwest 1.6 km down the hill from the Te Ponanga Saddle on SH47 and turn left onto a short access road that leads to the edge of Lake Rotoaira.
This important archaeological site located on the shores of Lake Rotoaira has revealed three distinct periods of occupation. Because of the cold climate which made it hard to grow kumara, when the Maori moved into the Taupo area at the end of the 15th century, they mainly established settlements around the lakes which provided food resources such as fish, birds and plants. The Europeans introduced the potato which could be grown more easily than the kumara in the colder climate and visitors to the area in the 1840s, described a number of small settlements and cultivated areas on the shores of Lake Rotoaira, with one main defended pa site on the Motuopuhi Peninsula (now an island) jutting out into lake. The Maori would have retreated to the pa site in times of danger, but generally would have lived in the small settlements like Opotaka which was surrounded by swamps on three sides and the lake on the other. It was probably occupied in the 1820s when the Maori first came into contact with Europeans in the area. Small shelters now protect parts of the excavations undertaken at this kainga (settlement) site, which have revealed traditional tools like obsidian and stone adzes as well as metal tools. You can walk around the site and still see the remains of house sites and storage pits. According to Maori legend, Mount Taranaki once stood where Lake Rotoaira is today. Taranaki fell in love with the mountain Pihanga, but Pihanga was Tongariro's wife and it was Tongariro that drove Taranaki away to the west.

7te porere redoubt

Continue southwest 13.4 km on SH47 to the Te Porere Redoubt Track, signposted on the right. To the south on the upper slopes of Mt Tongariro you can often see steam rising from the Ketetahi Valley, an active thermal area that features boiling mud, fumaroles, geysers and hot springs.
It is only a 10 minute walk from the road to visit the earthworks of the Te Porere Redoubt. The redoubt was built by Te Kooti and his followers after they had been driven from the East Cape by the colonial government forces. This was the scene of the last battle in the New Zealand Wars in 1869, and although the redoubt was overwhelmed and Te Kooti wounded, he managed to escape and lived in the King Country until he was later pardoned in 1883.

.

Tongariro-Chateau

8the chateau

Continue southwest on SH 47 for 15.3 km and turn left onto SH48 to reach the Chateau which is 6.3 km south.

There are magnificent views across the tussock covered landscape towards the Mangatepopo Valley below Mt Ngauruhoe. Like the volcanic crater on Mt Ruapehu, the 2290 m volcanic cone of Ngauruhoe still produces the occassional ash eruption. The darker jet black rock on its slopes is the product of the most recent lava flows. The imposing Grand Chateau, was built in 1929, catering for tourists visiting Mt Ruapehu during the early days of its development as a ski resort. In the early 1900s, large numbers of tourists made the trip from Wellington to Wanganui, travelling by steamer, then continuing by river boat to Pipiriki and by stagecoach to Raetihi, Waiouru and along the Desert Road track to the Waihohonu Hut on the eastern side of the mountain. It wasn’t until after the completion of the Main Trunk Railway line in 1908 that the western side of the mountain was developed. At this point the Whakapapa Village was established and a narrow winding gravel road was cut across the western side of the mountain. The first trip from Wellington to Auckland by car was made in 1912. It's a sign of things to come, as the mountain began to receive increasing numbers of visitors. Tourist huts were erected during the 1920s and by 1938 the first ski tow had been established on the mountain. The skiing facilities have been extensively developed over the years and today the Whakapapa village and the Chateau are popular tourist destinations all year round.

 

 

top of the bruce

Continue through the village and 7 km up the mountain to the top of the Bruce Road and the Whakapapa ski fields.
A number of good walks start from the carparking areas on the side of the road near the Top of the Bruce. The Whakapapaiti Valley track begins 5 km above Whakapapa Village at Scoria Flat on Bruce Road. From the Bruce Road, the track follows the Round the Mountain Track across to a moraine ridge for spectacular views across the slopes of the mountain and along the Whakapapaiti Valley. The track zig-zags down into the valley then descend through stunted beech forest, following the river to the Whakapapaiti Hut. The track crosses the stream and continues across the mountain to join the track to the Silica Rapids and back to the Whakapapa Village which takes about 4 hours to reach from the Bruce Road.

 

 

9Ohakune

Return to SH47 and turn left, heading west 8.7 km to the National Park Township, turn left onto SH4 and drive south 13 km to the Makatote Viaduct. This 262 m long, 78 m high viaduct is one of the engineering masterpieces that was created to span the deeply cut rivers flowing from Ruapehu that are crossed by the Main Trunk Railway. Nearby there is a monument that commemorates the completion of the line in 1908. Continue south for 13 km on SH 4 to the Tohanga Junction and turn left onto SH49. Drive 9 km southeast to Ohakune.
Packed with motels, ski shops and restaurants, Ohakune is the major service centre for the skifields on the southern side of Mt Ruapehu. You will find the start of the Mangawhero Forest Walk opposite the DOC Headquarters on Mangawhero Terrace. The track leads through an ancient forest that survived the cataclysmic Taupo eruptions on this sheltered southern side of the mountain.

the crater lake

In the summer months from the Iwikau Village at the top of the Bruce Road, you can still ride the ski lifts onto the upper slopes to explore the mountain and enjoy the breath-taking views. From the top lift the crater lake near the 2769 m summit of Mt Ruapehu, can be reached after a climb of about 3 hours. The most commonly used route in summer when there is still snow in the valleys, follows the left hand side of the Knoll Ridge T-bar up to the top of the line. The climb continues up the valley and onto the ridge behind Glacier Knob. At this point a narrow track can be followed zig zagging up the face and onto the Dome Ridge. This is not a marked route and you need to be prepared because the weather can change without warning. The best way to make the trip is to join one of the DOC guided walks and climbs that are run as part of their summer holiday programme from the visitor centre at the Whakapapa village.

 

the mangawhero Forest walk

The Mangawhero Forest Walk takes about 80 minutes and follows the Mangawhero Stream in a loop through the forest, featuring giant rimu, matai and kahikatea. In the depths of the forest an old volcanic vent is reached. The vent has filled in to become a swamp and supports a number of kahikitea, New Zealand's tallest tree, which is able to tolerate the wet conditions in the crater. Rimus can be found growing on the edge of the crater where the soil is drier. The track winds its way through a number of gullies to the base of a limestone cliff. The uplifted rock is over three million years old and contains fossilised barnacles, oysters and scallop shells. It track crosses the Ohakune Mountain Road before returning along the remnants of an old tramway.

 

 

 

11the mountain road

From Ohakune Township take the Ohakune Mountain Road and travel 18.2 km up onto the southern side of the mountain.
This drive up to Turoa skifield is interesting in both summer and winter. As the road climbs the slopes of the mountain, the vegetation becomes smaller. The small stunted kaikawaka (mountain cedar) that border the road on one stretch may be hundreds of years old, but have grown only a few metres high in this harsh alpine environment. Return 17 km to Ohakune.