Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
decidedly non-hostel-like facilities: free sauna, spa pool and gym, and ski hire, restaurant
and bar.
Tongariro Family Holiday Park
MAP
HOLIDAY PARK
$
( 07-386 8062;
www.thp.co.nz
;
SH47; campsites per person unpowered/powered $18/20, cabins $60-90, units from
$130; )
Conveniently situated for Alpine Crossing trampers, halfway along the highway
between the start and finish points, this wee gem is in the middle of nowhere and every-
where at the same time. It's a welcoming camp - simple, sunny and surrounded by forest,
with plenty of grass, trees and a playground. Communal facilities, cabins and self-con-
tained units are unflashy but well tended. It's 24km to both Whakapapa Village and Tur-
angi.
Bayview Chateau Tongariro
( 07-892 3809, 0800 242 832;
www.chateau.co.nz
;
Whakapapa Village; d $155-355; )
With its sublime
setting and manor house grandeur, this iconic hotel promises as much as it did when it
opened its doors in 1929. Step inside, however, and you will see that its many charms are
somewhat faded. But the Chateau remains one of NZ's most romantic hotels, complete
with high tea in the library, aperitifs in the elegant foyer bar, and evening dining in the
grand
Ruapehu Room
(mains $32-38; dinner)
. Other facilities include two cafes, indoor pool,
cinema and nine-hole golf course. Choose from rooms in either the historic hotel (with
greater charm) or the adjacent modern wing.
HOTEL
$$$
Tussock
(Whakapapa Village; meals $5-18; 3pm-late; )
An agreeable hybrid of the back-blocks Kiwi
pub and ski club rooms, Tussock is a warm and comfortable place to eat a basic meal (ba-
con and egg muffins, pizza, burgers), play pool, watch the big game, or admire the view
from the large windows.
PUB
$
Information
Further national park information is available from the i-SITEs in Ohakune (
Click here
)
,
Turangi (
Click here
)
and Taupo (
Click here
)
.
Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre
( 07-892 3729;
www.doc.govt.nz
;
Whakapapa Village; 8am-5pm)
Has maps and info on all corners of the park, including walks, huts and current skiing,
track and weather conditions. Its exhibits on the geological and human history of the area
