Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Oturere and Waihohonu huts are designated Great Walk huts ($32) during the Great Walk
season (mid-October to 30 April). Each hut has gas cookers, heating, cold running water
and good old long-drop toilets, along with communal bunk rooms with mattresses. Camp-
sites are located next to the huts; the $15 fee allows campers use of the hut facilities.
Great Walk hut tickets must be obtained in advance, either from the Tongariro National
Park Visitor Centre (
Click here
)
,
Great Walks Bookings
( 0800 694 732;
www.greatwalks.co.nz
)
, or
DOC visitor centres nationwide. It will pay to book early during the Great Walk season. In
the off-season, the huts become Standard huts ($5), the gas cookers are removed, and fees
can be paid with Backcountry Hut Passes and tickets.
Tongariro Northern Circuit
Circumnavigating Ngauruhoe, this four-day, 50km track is a Great Walk for a number of
good reasons. The route can be easily walked in four days from Whakapapa Village,
Mangatepopo Rd or Ketetahi Rd, all regularly serviced by shuttle services. Although there
is some moderate climbing, the track is well marked and well maintained, putting it within
the ability of people of medium fitness and tramping experience.
The Northern Circuit passes plenty of the spectacular and colourful volcanic features
that have earned the park its Unesco World Heritage Area status. Highlights include
craters, including the South Crater, Central Crater and Red Crater; brilliantly colourful
lakes, including the Emerald Lakes, Blue Lake and the Upper and Lower Tama Lakes; the
cold Soda Springs; and various other formations, including cones, lava flows and glacial
valleys. Optional side trips include the summits of Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, both of
which lie along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, part of which makes up a leg of this cir-
cuit.
The traditional place to start and finish the tramp is Whakapapa Village, the site of the
park's visitor information centre. However, many trampers begin at Mangatepopo Rd to
ensure they have good weather for the tramp's most dramatic day. This reduces it to a
three-day tramp, with stays at Oturere and Waihohonu Huts, ending at Whakapapa Vil-
lage.
TRAMPING
ROUTE
ESTIMATED SUMMER WALK TIME (HR)
Whakapapa Village to Mangatepopo Hut
3-5
Mangatepopo Hut to Oturere Hut
5-6
Oturere Hut to Waihohonu Hut
3
Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa Village
5-6
