Experience the best of Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park covers the central volcanic plateau of the North Island, with the peaks of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro rising above lava fields, tussock and crater lakes. Ngauruhoe is the neat cone that stood in for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films. The park was given to the nation in 1887 by Ngāti Tūwharetoa, the Māori iwi who hold its mountains as ancestral land.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a one-day walk of about 19 kilometres past red craters and emerald lakes, is one of the best-known day walks in the country. Mount Ruapehu, the highest peak on the North Island, has a ski field, and Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, lies to the north-east.

Lake Taupō is famous for its rainbow trout, and the villages around the park serve hearty meals to walkers and skiers. Summers from December to March are the busiest time for walkers, and the ski fields operate through the cold months. Weather on the mountains can turn quickly, and the crossing is sometimes closed.