Eight Days in the Taupo Volcanic Zone – Day 4: Tongariro

Today’s objective was the Tongariro National Park, where we would spend the rest of the time on this trip. But first we had to drive to Turangi and go to the Visitors’ Centre to gain email access, check the weather forecast for the alpine areas and arrange accommodation for the next two nights. (We had pre-booked accommodation for our last three nights as we planned to meet friends who were arriving from Australia in time to join us for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on our last day in the area.)

Turangi was a little more than half an hour from our lakeside camp site and, after stocking up on essential food at the supermarket, we moved on to the Visitors’ Centre on the edge of the shopping precinct. The staff at the centre were very helpful and we were able to achieve all of our objectives. The weather promised to be fine for the next couple of days at least so we decided we’d attempt to climb Mount Ruapehu, the North Island’s highest peak and the most active of the volcanoes in the area.

We were advised to book a guide for our climb, since the only paths on the mountain are near the summit and were able to make a booking on the spot for the following day. This turned out to be excellent advice as not only did we have skilful guidance up and down the rocky slopes; our guide, Mike Fox, was also able to radio ahead to make sure the chairlift waited for us. I doubt we would have been able to scramble the rest of the way down to the car park in near darkness by ourselves.

Most of the rest of the morning was taken up with driving to Whakapapa Village in the heart of the Tongariro National Park. After heading south, we turned west along the road that skirts along the southern edge of Lake Rotoaira then turned south-west along State Highway 47 to find the turn-off to the village. On this road we had our first views of the mountains we hoped to climb.

First sight of the mountains, taken from State Highway 47. Heather and New Zealand flax in the foreground add colour and texture to the scene. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 24mm focal length, 1/30 second at f/13.)

A panoramic view, stitched together from seven separate shots taken further along the road, showing (from left) Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 65mm focal length, 1/30 second at f/16.)
We checked our camper van into the Whakapapa Holiday Park, which has attractive facilities and is located in beautiful bushland. After grabbing a quick bite of lunch we set off for the Whakapapa Visitors’ Centre on foot to check whether Ruapehu was active, confirm the weather forecast and see whether there were any interesting walks we could do during the rest of the afternoon. With all promising well for the next day, we decided on the Taranaki Falls track, which offered an interesting combination of forest, stream and alpine meadows and provided scope for extension if we had a bit more time.

The Taranaki Falls track is a 6 km path that begins just below the Visitors’ Centre and passes through tussock grass, bushland and beech forest before reaching the falls, approximately 3 km from the start. Part of the track passes alongside the Wairere Stream, which provides water for the falls.

The Wairere Stream about 1.2 km below the Taranaki Falls. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 28mm focal length, 1/22 second at f/13.5.)

The falls tumble 20 metres over the edge of a large andesite lava flow, which erupted from Ruapehu roughly 15,000 years ago. The stream continues to erode a channel through the flow and the falls plunge into a crystal-clear basin eroded by the water in the stream bed.

Taranaki Falls. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 73mm focal length, 1/91 second at f/11.)

White gentian flowers could be seen intermittently alongside the track for almost all of its length. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 105mm focal length, 1/362 second at f/6.7.)

From the falls, the trail climbs up onto the lava flow and continues through a small forest before joining the Tama Lakes Track. Since we had at least two hours before dusk we decided to take this track, although with no intention of going as far as the lakes, which were 6-8 kilometres further on. Our intention was to get some good views of the mountains – which we did as the late afternoon light and clear air provided ideal conditions for photography.

Mt Ngauruhoe can be seen beyond the edge of the lava flow with heather and native vegetation taking advantage of the protected area in the foreground. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 24mm focal length, 1/22 second at f/16.)

Mt Ngauruhoe from the top of the lava flow. A marker for the Tama Lakes Track can be seen in the foreground. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 40mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/13.5.)

It being less than two hours until nightfall, we decided to turn back once we had reached this point. The track wound its way through alpine tussock grasses for a while, providing excellent views of Mt Ruapehu.

Late afternoon cumulus clouds over Mt Ruapehu bring a promise of fine weather. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 47mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/13.5.)

Our last good view of Mt Ruapehu before we plunged down into the forest on the way back to Whakapapa Village was as we crossed the Wairere Stream again. Exposure levels were significantly lower in the dying afternoon light, necessitating the use of slower shutter speeds. Thereafter, most of the track passes along the old Waihohonu horse trail; skirting layers of pumice and ash from previous eruptions then meandering down through manuka scrub and back to the Visitors’ Centre.

Looking across the Wairere Stream above the falls towards Mt Ruapehu before the track plunges down into manuka scrub and tussock grass before returning to the Visitor’s Centre. (Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens; ISO 200, 35mm focal length, 1/45 second at f/13.5.)