I was completely mesmerized the last evening at the Milford Sound. No wonder, the tourism in this part of Oceania is showing signs of steady increase. Next in our agenda was the Tongariro National Park and we had our cab ready for the travel, which would take around four and a half hours of travel. The park is situated in the Ruapehu District.
Stretching out around 80000 hectares, the park was a gift by Maori Chief Te Heuher Tukino IV in the year 1887. One of the outstanding features of the park is its active volcano mountains called Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. Amazingly, the place features the country’s contrasting landscapes and tags the UN’s World Heritage Site status.
To share my experience, I have never witnessed a beauty of the place that features hot springs, crystal-clear lakes and alpine meadows. It offered scintillating beauty of flora and fauna. Furthermore, one of the active volcanoes, Mount Tongariro emptied recently in 2012.
The park offered a lot of adventurous activities. We were well-prepared with pairs of shoes, water, snacks and camera for a trek. We had booked for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which enabled us to traverse along the slopes of mountains. There wasn’t enough time to finish the activity and return, so we stayed at local huts offered by the Department of Conservation.
Stretching out around 80000 hectares, the park was a gift by Maori Chief Te Heuher Tukino IV in the year 1887. One of the outstanding features of the park is its active volcano mountains called Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. Amazingly, the place features the country’s contrasting landscapes and tags the UN’s World Heritage Site status.
To share my experience, I have never witnessed a beauty of the place that features hot springs, crystal-clear lakes and alpine meadows. It offered scintillating beauty of flora and fauna. Furthermore, one of the active volcanoes, Mount Tongariro emptied recently in 2012.
The park offered a lot of adventurous activities. We were well-prepared with pairs of shoes, water, snacks and camera for a trek. We had booked for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which enabled us to traverse along the slopes of mountains. There wasn’t enough time to finish the activity and return, so we stayed at local huts offered by the Department of Conservation.
Tongariro National Park Blue Lake | Image Resource : newzealandphoto.info
The hiking along the mountains, starting from Mangatepopo valley was exciting with the scenic beauty of volcanoes. The Lake Taupo was quite charming, while the lofty Mt. Taranaki enthralled us. The panoramic views around kept us engaged and made us forget the tiredness. Walking on the lava flows was by and large an experience. During the journey, we kept our eye peeled for the Soda Springs, an oasis for “Yellow butter cups and white fox gloves”.
We had a break for snacks before climbing the steep valley to reach Mangatepopo Saddle and then Mount Taranaki. I hurriedly clicked a few snaps of the scintillating view around. There wasn’t enough time to climb the summit of Mount Tongariro, and we descended to reach the Emerald Lakes, which looked like water-filled craters. Further down, we reached the Blue Lake; close by was the flanks of North Crater, and finally, we reached the forest through Tussock slopes.
We took almost ten hours for trekking. That night we stayed there and engaged in some activities. The visit to Tongariro National Park was worth experiencing.
We had a break for snacks before climbing the steep valley to reach Mangatepopo Saddle and then Mount Taranaki. I hurriedly clicked a few snaps of the scintillating view around. There wasn’t enough time to climb the summit of Mount Tongariro, and we descended to reach the Emerald Lakes, which looked like water-filled craters. Further down, we reached the Blue Lake; close by was the flanks of North Crater, and finally, we reached the forest through Tussock slopes.
We took almost ten hours for trekking. That night we stayed there and engaged in some activities. The visit to Tongariro National Park was worth experiencing.
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