Tongariro Northern Circuit

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Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk Logo.svg
Elevation profile of the Tongariro Northern Circuit (without return route to the Ketetahi Hut)

The Tongariro Northern Circuit (German: Nördlicher Tongariro-Rundwanderweg ) is a multi-day hike in the Tongariro National Park on the Volcanic Plateau in the center of the North Island of New Zealand and is one of the so-called New Zealand Great Walks . The volcano Mount Ngauruhoe is circumnavigated over a total distance of 48 kilometers . The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is part of the circuit. While this one-day tour is done by around 25,000 hikers per year, there are only around 7,000 on the entire circuit.

Route

The Chateau Tongariro in Whakapapa Village, the start and end of the tour. Right: Summit of Mount Ruapehu

The tour leads through a barren yet diverse volcanic landscape with lava rubble , volcanic craters , crater lakes and glacial valleys. When the weather is clear, there are spectacular views of the peaks of the three volcanoes of the Tongariro National Park. The starting point and destination of the tour is usually the Visitors Center in Whakapapa Village . The time required is around three to four days. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has a so-called Great Walk Ticket ready, which every hiker pays before starting the tour and which includes the cost of the overnight stay in the huts on the route or on the campsites.

First section

Whakapapa Village → Mangatepopo Hut (3–5 hours, 8.5 kilometers)
The first section leads along the Whakapapa Track through a heavily eroded , prairie-like landscape. Numerous smaller river beds are crossed. The strongly jagged summit of Mount Tongariro and the classic volcanic cone of Mount Ngauruhoe lie ahead, before finally reaching the Mangatepopo Valley after bypassing the Pukekaikiore volcanic vent. The Mangatepopo hut is about 5 minutes off the main path.

Second section of the route

View from the Red Crater to Mount Ngauruhoe and the South Crater in front of it

Mangatepopo Hut → Oturere Hut (5–6 hours, 13 kilometers)
This section of the route follows the course of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing . After initially leisurely hike through the Mangatepopo Valley some 200 meters to the Mangatepopo Saddle along a good track, the so-called are Devil's Staircase (in German: Devil's Ladder ) replaced in 2008, cooled off in a landscape lava flows, boulders and volcanic ash between overcome Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro. Looking west, when the weather is clear, the mostly snow-capped summit of Mount Taranaki can be seen on the horizon . After crossing the South Crater, there is another ascent to the Red Crater, the highest point of this day tour. After a descent to the turquoise Emerald Lakes, there is a relatively steep descent past bizarre lava formations to the Oturere Hut. An overnight stay in the Ketetahi hut is currently not possible (as of March 2014) after it was damaged in the eruptions of the Te Māri crater in 2012.

Third section

The Taranaki Falls not far from Whakapapa Village

Oturere Hut → Waihohonu Hut (3–4 hours, 7.5 kilometers)
Behind the Oturere Hut, the route disappears into almost pathless scree fields without any vegetation. The path continues to meander along the foot of Mount Ngauruhoe and descend into the valley of the Waihohonu Stream. Then a valley with southern beech trees is crossed before the path climbs to a mountain ridge. The Waihohonu Hut is reached when descending into the valley behind.

Fourth section

Waihohonu Hut → Whakapapa Village (5.5–6 hours, 14 kilometers).
The last section of the circular hike follows an old transport route along the Waihohonu Stream, first to the wind-exposed Tama Saddle, without steep ascents or descents. From there, side paths branch off to the Tama Lakes. Following the main path, a visit to the Taranaki Falls is recommended immediately before reaching Whakapapa Village. From there the path leads back along the Wairere Stream to the starting point of the Tongariro Northern Circuit. This section is also part of the round-the-mountain track around Mount Ruapehu.

Web links

Commons : Tongariro Northern Circuit  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Round the Mountain Track . Department of Conservation information page (accessed March 25, 2014).