At the southern end of Lake Taupo is the dual World Heritage listed Tongariro National Park with its majestic volcanoes, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe which are still active and the dormant, Tongariro which is traversed by the Tongariro Crossing, one of the country's great walks. You'll encounter moonscape craters, lush native forest, lava formations, glaciers and crystal clear rivers and lakes.
MUST SEE & DO
- Walk the Tongariro Crossing, a strenuous 17 kilometre hike past Mount Ngauruhoe and over Mount Tongariro. The lunar-like landscape features active volcanic areas, emerald crater lakes and panoramic views
- Visit Whakapapa on Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand's biggest and busiest ski fields
- Drive the Ohakune Mountain Road - an extraordinarily scenic road that winds up through native bush to Turoa Ski Resort. One of the features of the road is the stratification of the vegetation
- Travel by jet boat on the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable river which has some amazing scenery
