Volcano sights in Tongariro National Park
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Mt Tongariro
The Red Crater of Mt Tongariro (1968m) last erupted in 1926. This ancient but still active volcano has coloured lakes dotting its uneven summit. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a magnificent walk, passes beside the lakes, right through several craters, and down through lush native forest.
reviewed
-
Mt Ruapehu
The multipeaked summit of Ruapehu (2797m) is the highest and most active of the park’s volcanoes, and the centrepiece of the national park, with Whakapapa Village (pronounced ‘fa-ka-pa-pa’), numerous walking tracks and three ski fields on its slopes.
The name means 'pit of sound', a reference to its regular eruptions. It began erupting over 250,000 years ago and remains active today, with major eruptions roughly every 50 years. During the spectacular 1995 eruptions, Ruapehu spurted volcanic rock and cloaked the area in clouds of ash and steam. From June to September the following year the mountain rumbled, groaned and thrust ash clouds high into the sky,…
reviewed
-
Mt Ngauruhoe
Much younger than the other two volcanoes, it is estimated that Ngauruhoe (2287m) formed in the last 2500 years. In contrast to the others, which have multiple vents, Ngauruhoe is a conical, single-vent volcano with perfectly symmetrical slopes – which is the reason that it was chosen to star as Mt Doom in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. It can be climbed in summer, but in winter (under snow) this steep climb is only for experienced mountaineers.
reviewed