Tongariro National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Map of New Zealand
Location:	Ruapehu District, New Zealand
Nearest city:	National Park, New Zealand
Coordinates:	39°12′″S, 175°35′″E
Area:	795.98 km²
Established:	October 1894
Visitation:	1,000,000 (in a recent year)
Governing body:	Department of Conservation Whakapapa Visitor Centre Private Bag Mount Ruapehu 2650 +64 7 8923729 (Phone) +64 7 8923814 (Fax) [1]

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 24 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Image File history File links LocMap_Tongariro_National_Park2. ... Ruapehu is political district on New Zealands North Island with an area of 6,700 square kilometers and a population of 14,295 as of 2004. ... National Park is a small town on the central plateau of the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Department of Conservation (In Māori, Te Papa Atawhai), commonly known by its acronym, DOC, is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

Tongariro National Park was the fourth National Park established in the world. The active volcanic mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro are located in the centre of the park. Volcano 1. ... Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Composite satellite image of Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano, situated at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. ... Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand. ... Mount Tongariro is a volcanic mountain complex in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

There are a number of Māori religious sites within the park. Several of the mountain summits are tapu, a word describing a highly sacred site. Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... Tapu (or tabu) is a concept existing in many Polynesian societies, including traditional Hawaiian, Tongan, and Maori cultures. ...

Geography

Location

Tongariro National Park covers approximately 795,98 km² stretching between 175° 22' and 175° 48' East and 38° 58' and 39° 25' South in the heart of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 330 km south of Auckland by road, and 320 km north of Wellington. It is just a few kilometers west-southwest of Lake Taupo. It contains a considerable part of the North Island Volcanic Plateau. Directly to the east stand the hills of the Kaimanawa range. The Whanganui River through Whanganui National Park lies to the west. Schematic map of Auckland. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... Lake Taupo. ... The North Island Volcanic Plateau (often called the Central Plateau and occasionally the Waimarino Plateau) is located in the central North Island of New Zealand. ... The Kaimanawa Range of mountains (often known as the Kaimanawa Ranges) is located in the central North Island of New Zealand. ... The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Whanganui National Park is located in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Most of the park is located in the Ruapehu District (Manawatu-Wanganui Region), although the northeast is in the Taupo District (Waikato Region, or Hawke's Bay Region to the north). Ruapehu is political district on New Zealands North Island with an area of 6,700 square kilometers and a population of 14,295 as of 2004. ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ...

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x175, 55 KB) Picture of a sunrise on the Tongariro National Park in New-Zealand. ...

Dimension

Satellite picture of Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park stretches around the massif of the three volcanoes Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro. The Pihanga Scenic Reserve, containing Lake Rotopounamu, Mount Pihanga and Mount Kakaramea, though outside the main park area, is part of the park. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (656x692, 348 KB) Landsat 7 (Pseudo Color) satellite picture of Tongariro National Park from NASA World Wind. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (656x692, 348 KB) Landsat 7 (Pseudo Color) satellite picture of Tongariro National Park from NASA World Wind. ...

Mahuia River, Tongariro National Park

On the park borders are the small towns of National Park Village and Ohakune. Further away are Turangi, Waiouru, and Raetihi. Within the park borders, the only settlements are the tourism-based village of Whakapapa and Iwikau Village, which is in a nearby ski-field and consists solely of ski accommodation. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (660x993, 464 KB) Summary Mahuia River, Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (660x993, 464 KB) Summary Mahuia River, Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ... Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Turangi is a town on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand at the southwest corner of Lake Taupo. ... Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Raetihi is a town in the central North Island of New Zealand. ...

Tongariro National Park is surrounded by well-maintained roads that roughly follow the park borders and provide easy access. In the west, State Highway 4 passes National Park village, and in the east, State Highway 1, known for this stretch as the Desert Road, runs parallel to the Tongariro River. State Highway 47 joins these two highways to the north. The southern link is State Highway 49. The North Island Main Trunk railway from Auckland to Wellington passes National Park village. State Highway 1 State Highway 1 is the most significant single element of the New Zealand roading network State Highway 1 can be considered as a single highway running the length of both main islands, a total of 2027 km. ... The NIMT is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ... Schematic map of Auckland. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ...

Climate

Like the whole of New Zealand, Tongariro National Park is situated in a temperate zone. The prevailing westerly winds gather water over the Tasman Sea. As the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park are the first significant elevations that these winds encounter on the North Island, besides Mount Taranaki, rain falls almost daily. The east-west rainfall differences are not as great as in the Southern Alps, because the three volcanoes do not belong to a greater mountain range, and the wind simply funnels over the summits. In Whakapapa the average annual rainfall is about 2200 mm, in Ohakune about 1250 mm and in higher altitudes, such as Iwikau Village, about 4900 mm. In winter there is snow to about 1500 m. Temperatures vary dramatically, even within one day. In Whakapapa, they can fall below the freezing point all year round. The average temperature is 13 °C, with a maximum of 25 °C in summer and a minimum of -10 °C in winter. In some summers the summits of the three volcanoes are covered with snow; on top of Mount Ruapehu, snow fields can be found every summer and the summit is glaciated. In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... fuck you Map of the Tasman Sea Satellite photo of the Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, some 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) across. ... Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont [1] is a dormant stratovolcano located in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealands North Island. ... The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ... Whakapapa or genealogy is a fundamental principle that permeates the whole of Maori culture. ... Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

History

The three volcanoes: snow-capped Ruapehu (left), conical Ngauruhoe (centre) and broad-domed Tongariro (right)

The mountain summits are of great significance to the local Māori. Download high resolution version (864x252, 53 KB)New Zealands three active central North Island volcanoes, seen from the northwest. ... Download high resolution version (864x252, 53 KB)New Zealands three active central North Island volcanoes, seen from the northwest. ... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ...

To prevent exploitation of the mountains by European immigrants, Te Heuheu Tukino IV (Horonuku), the most significant chief of the Māori Ngati Tuwharetoa iwi (or clan), gifted the heart of the current national park, consisting of the peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe, and parts of Mount Ruapehu, to The Crown on September 23, 1887, on condition that a protected area was established there. This 26.4 km² area was generally considered to be too small to establish a national park after the model of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (USA), and so further areas were bought. When the New Zealand Parliament passed the Tongariro National Park Act in October 1894, the park covered an area of about 252.13 km², but it took until 1907 to acquire the land. When the Act was renewed in 1922, the park area was extended to 586.8 km². Further extensions, especially Pihanga Scenic Reserve in 1975, enlarged the park to its current size of 795.98 km². The last modification to the Act was passed in 1980. Tongariro National Park has been under the control of the New Zealand Department of Conservation since the creation of the department in 1987. TE HEU HEU TUKINO IV (Horonuku or Pataatai) (1821-1888) Given name Pataatai he assumed the name Horonuku - meaning landslide - after the death of his parents, was the paramount chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa, and the man who deeded the mountains of Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe and surrounding land as... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... Mai Te Awa o Te Atua ki Tongariro, Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau, Tuwharetoa ki Waiariki, Tuwharetoa ki te Tonga (From Te Awa-o-te-Atua to Tongariro, Tuwharetoa at Kawerau, Tuwharetoa at Waiariki, Tuwharetoa at Tongariro) Tuwharetoa is an iwi descended from the eponymous ancestor Ngatoroirangi. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... The Crown is a term which is used to separate the government authority and property of the state in a kingdom from any personal influence and private assets held by the current Monarch. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative body of the New Zealand government. ... The Department of Conservation (In Māori, Te Papa Atawhai), commonly known by its acronym, DOC, is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. ...

The first activities in the young Tongariro National Park were the construction of tourist huts at the beginning of the 20th century. But it was not before opening of the railway in 1908 and the building of roads in the 1930s that a significant number of people visited the park. The second Tongariro National Park Act, in 1922, started some active conservation efforts, but it was not until 1931 that the first permanent park ranger began work. Road construction into Whakapapa valley had already begun in the 1920s. The first ski hut was built in 1923 at an elevation of 1770 m, thereafter a road, and, in 1938, a ski lift in the area. This early tourist development explains the rather uncommon existence of a permanently inhabited village and fully developed ski area within a national park. The hotel Chateau Tongariro, which is still the centre of Whakapapa today, was established in 1929. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Chateau Tongariro is unquestionably New Zealands best-known hotel and resort complex. ...

In the early 20th century, park administrators introduced heather to the park, for grouse hunting. Grouse were never actually introduced, but the heather is sprawling, threatening the ecological system and endemic plants of the park. Efforts are being made to control the plant's spread, however complete eradication seems unlikely. Binomial name Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull Heather redirects here. ... Genera Tetrao Lagopus Falcipennis Centrocercus Bonasa Dendrapagus Tympanuchus Grouse are from the order Galliformes which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. ...

Tongariro Power Scheme

The Tongariro Power Scheme was designed to preserve and protect the natural surroundings as much as possible. It gathers water from the mountains of the central volcanic plateau, passes it through Rangipo (120MW) and Tokaanu (240MW) power stations, and releases it into Lake Taupo. The scheme taps a catchment area of more than 2600 km² and uses a series of lakes, canals and tunnels to take water to the two stations which typically generate 1400 GWh pa,. about four percent of the country's total electricity generation.

The western diversion takes water from six rivers and streams from the Whakapapa River to the Whanganui River, into Lake Rotoaira via Lake Otamangakau. The Tokaanu power station is connected to Lake Rotoaira via a six kilometre tunnel through Mount Tihia. It also draws water from the Tongariro River via the Poutu tunnel and canal.

On the eastern side of Mount Ruapehu, water is diverted from the Kaimanawa Ranges and headwaters of the Wahianoa River through a 20 km tunnel into the Rangipo dam. The 120MW Rangipo power station is 230 m below ground. Its turbines are located in a cavern cut from solid rock and lined with concrete. Genesis Energy has developed mitigation measures with stakeholders that aim to lessen the environmental effects of the Tongariro Power Scheme.

Some of these measures include lake level management, ecological monitoring programmes, and agreements with local iwi to establish a process for iwi involvement in environmental monitoring and access to information. The electricity generated at the Tongariro Power Scheme goes into the national grid. Then it is distributed to residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout New Zealand.

Geology

The volcanoes Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu are the southern end of a 2500 km long range of volcanoes, below which the Indo-Australian Plate meets the Pacific Plate.These volcanoes have resulted from internal tectonic processes. The Pacific Plate subducts under the Indo-Australian plate, and subsequently melts due to the high temperatures of the aesthenosphere. This magma being less dense, rises to the surface and goes through the weak parts of the earth's crust(the faults) resulting in volcanic processes in the area. Volcanic processes have been causing the uplift of the mountains of Tongariro National Park for over two million years.  The Indo-Australian plate, shown in dull orange The Indo-Australian Plate is an overarching name for two tectonic plates that include the continent of Australia and surrounding ocean extending northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and adjacent waters. ...  The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ...

Biology

Vegetation in Tongariro National Park

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (660x993, 446 KB) Summary Vegetation in Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (660x993, 446 KB) Summary Vegetation in Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ...

Flora

The Tongariro National Park is a rough and partly unstable environment. To the north and west of the park, a podocarp-broadleaf rain forest near Lake Taupo stretches over an area of 30 km², and up to an elevation of 1000 m. In this rain forest live Hall's totara (Podocarpus hallii), kahikatea (Podocarpus dacrydioides), kamahi (Weinmannia racemosa), pahautea (Libocedrus bidwillii), and numerous epiphytic ferns, orchids, and fungi. Pahautea trees can be found further on up to a height of 1530 m, where they cover 127.3 km². On this level, one can also find a 50 km² beech forest, containing red (Nothofagus fusca), silver (Nothofagus menziesii) and mountain beech (Nothofagus solandri var cliffortioides). There is also a 95 km² area of scrubland, containing kanuka (Leptospermum ericoides), manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), celery-top-pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius), inaka (Dracophyllum longifolium), woolly fringe moss (Rhacomitrium lanuginosum), small beeches and introduced heather. To the northwest, and around Mount Ruapehu, between an altitude of 1200 and 1500 m, tussock shrubland and tussockland cover large areas (around 150 km²), consisting mainly of New Zealand red tussock grass (Chionochloa rubra), inaka, curled leaved neinei (Dracophyllum recurvum), wire rush (Empodisma minus), and bog rush (Schoenus pauciflorus), as well as heather and grasses like hard tussock (Festuca novaezelandiae) and bluegrass (Poa colensoi). Above 1500 m, the terrain consists of gravel and stone fields and is accordingly unstable. Nevertheless, some plants occasionally settle there, such as curled leaved neinei, snow totara (Podocarpus nivalis), mountain snowberry (Gaultheria colensoi), bristle tussock (Rytidosperma setifolium), bluegrass and Raoulia albosericea, which cover an area of 165 km². Between 1700 and 2020 m there are some isolated parahebe species, Gentiana gellidifolia and buttercups. Above 2200 m live only crustose lichens. Lake Taupo. ... Binomial name Dacrycarpus dacrydioides Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) is an endemic tree found in New Zealand. ... Near Orosí, Costa Rica Epiphytes on a tree near Santa Elena in Costa Rica An example of an epiphyte assemblage of orchids and bromeliads in a garden setting in Hawaii An epiphyte is any plant that grows upon or attached to another living plant. ... Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Polypodiopsida A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Subfamilies Apostasioideae Cypripedioideae Epidendroideae Orchidoideae Vanilloideae For genera, see list of Orchidaceae genera. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... The Manuka (or tea tree) is a tree endemic to New Zealand. ... Species Poa pratensis - Kentucky bluegrass Full List of Poa species Bluegrass refers to a genus of grasses, some of which look bluish when in flower. ... This article is about the flower. ... Lichenes from Ernst Haeckels Artforms of Nature, 1904 Crustose and foliose lichens on a wall A foliose lichen on basalt. ...

Fauna

There are 56 significant species of birds, such as rare endemic species like the North Island brown kiwi, kākā, blue duck, North Island fernbird (Bowdleria punctata vealeae), double-banded plover (Charadrius bicinctus) and karearea. Other bird species common to the park are tui, New Zealand bellbird, southern boobook, grey warbler (Gerygone igata), fantail, and silvereye. The park also features the only two native mammals of New Zealand, the short and long tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata and Chalinolobus tuberculatus). The Tongariro National Park also teems with insects like moths and wetas. Also present in the park, as well as the whole of New Zealand, are animals introduced by Europeans, such as black rats, stoats, cats, rabbits, hare, possums and red deer. Species See text. ... Binomial name Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin, 1788) The Kākā, Nestor meridionalis, is a parrot native to the forests of New Zealand. ... Stamp issued by New Zealand depicting a Blue Duck Binomial name Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus (Gmelin, 1789) Subspecies (South Island Blue Duck) (North Island Blue Duck) The Blue Duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus) is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. ... Binomial name Falco novaeseelandiae Gmelin, 1788 The Karearea, or New Zealand Falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae, is New Zealands only native falcon, and is frequently mistaken for the larger and more common Swamp Harrier. ... Binomial name Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1788) The Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family. ... Binomial name Anthornis melanura (Sparrman, 1786) The New Zealand Bellbird Anthoris melanura is a passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand, and is commonly known simply as the bellbird. It has greenish coloration and is the only living member of the genus Anthornis. ... Binomial name Ninox novaeseelandiae ( Gmelin, 1788) The Southern Boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae), also called the mopoke, is a small brown owl found mainly in New Zealand and the more fertile and temperate parts of Australia. ... Fantails are small, insectivorous birds of Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura. ... Binomial name Zosterops lateralis (Latham, 1802) The Silvereye, White-eye or Wax-eye (Zosterops lateralis) is a very small passerine bird native to Australia but also found in New Zealand. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ... The weta family comprises around 70 insect species endemic to the New Zealand archipelago. ... Binomial name Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Black Rat (Rattus rattus, also known as the Asian Black Rat, Ship Rat, Roof Rat or House Rat) is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus (Old World rodents) and the subfamily murinae (Murine rodents). ... Binomial name Mustela erminea Linnaeus, 1758 The stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the short-tailed weasel or the wild otter, is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus (Linnaeus, 1758) The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. ... Species Many, see text Hares and jackrabbits belong to family Leporidae, and mostly in genus Lepus. ... Superfamilies and Families Phalangeroidea Burramyidae Phalangeridae Petauroidea Pseudocheiridae Petauridae Tarsipedidae Acrobatidae A possum is any of about 63 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea and Sulawesi. ... Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest species of deer in the world. ...

Activities

Ruapehu seen from Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park. This road climbs to Iwikau Village, which provides access to ski fields.

The main activities are hiking and climbing in summer, and skiing and snowboarding in winter. There is also opportunity for hunting, game fishing, mountain biking, horse riding, rafting and scenic flights. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 303 KB) Summary Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (993x660, 303 KB) Summary Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park (28 January 2005. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at The Roaches in Staffordshire, England. ... Deep powder skiing Alpine skier carving a turn on piste Members of the U.S. Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resorts 14th Annual SnoFest This article is about snow skiing. ... Snowboarder in a half-pipe Snowboarder trail entry Snowboarding is a boardsport that involves descending a snow-covered slope on a snowboard that is attached to ones feet. ... Hunter and Huntress redirect here. ... Big-game fishing, sometimes called Offshore sport fishing or Offshore game fishing, is a form of recreational fishing, targeting large bony fish such as tuna and marlin in the open sea, often some distance from land and, in some fishing grounds, out of sight of land. ... Mountain biker riding in the Arizona desert. ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ... Rafting is a recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. ...

The most popular track in Tongariro National Park is the Tongariro Crossing. Most of the track is also part of the Tongariro Northern Circuit, a two to four day tour, which is one of New Zealand's nine Great Walks. Side trips to the summits of Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe are possible on these tracks. Another route is the three to six day Round the Mountain Track around Mount Ruapehu. Besides these, there are numerous shorter tracks appropriate for day tramps. With this track net, three camp sites, two emergency shelters, nine public and four private huts and the facilities in Whakapapa, the park is well developed for tourism. These tracks also serve as winter routes, as well as the track to the summit of Mount Ruapehu. Rock-climbing is also an option. Snow season is from the end of July to early November. The biggest ski area, also called Whakapapa, is on the western slope of Mount Ruapehu. It has 15 lifts, covering an area of 55 km². Directly next to the ski field are 47 ski club huts; most of them also accommodate non-club members. The next settlement is on the bottom, in Whakapapa. A slightly smaller ski field called Turoa is on the south-western slope. Though it has only nine lifts, the skiing area, of 50 km², is almost as large as Whakapapas. There is no accommodation at the ski field; the nearest town is Ohakune. These two ski fields came under common management in 2000. Ski passes can be used on both fields, and a lift or run from one field to the other is planned. Beside these major ski fields, there are also the Tukino ski area, privately run by the Desert Alpine Ski Club, and the Aorangi Ski Club on the south-eastern slope. It has two T-bar lifts, and covers 1.9 km². Categories: New Zealand geography stubs ... The Tongariro Northern Circuit, one of the New Zealand Great Walks, is a three to four day hike in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand. ... Great Walks Information An introduction to the DOC Great Walks The Great Walks are a set of popular tramping tracks selected from throughout New Zealand. ... Whakapapa on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu is one of the mountains two commercial skifields. ... Turoa is a skifield on Mount Ruapehu in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Tukino is a skifield on the eastern side of Mount Ruapehu in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

See also

• List of national parks of New Zealand

National Park, New Zealand is a Railway station and village near Tongariro National Park. ...

External links

• Department of Conservation information on Tongariro National Park
• UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre data sheet
• The Open Earth Project