The Ultimate New Zealand Travel Guide
Tongariro
From Taupo we now head south on route one that follows the eastern shores of Lake Taupo passing by Five Mile Bay and meandering along the lake to come to the town of Turangi having crossed the trout filled Tongariro river. If you enjoy fishing you will find nirvana here.
Two routes to take south here out of Turangi the first is to continue along route one through the highland desert country and on south. The other route is to go deeper into the Tongariro National Park taking route 41 to route 47 south. Either way you will get a good view of the volcanoes - Mount Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu.
I wanted to stop and stay at the Tongariro Holiday Park to say hello to two very fine folks who run it and I enjoy staying in the high alpine region. Another reason we heard the weather report that a real Antarctic storm was approaching. I have been caught out before when route one has been closed through the desert road area. Maybe we can miss it.
Tongariro was the first national park to be established in New Zealand (1887), and the fourth in the world. It is unique in that it was the first national park in the world to be gifted by a country's indigenous people.
It is a place of extremes and a place to explore and enjoy by camper van. From herb fields to forests, from tranquil lakes to desert-like plateau and active volcanoes - Tongariro has them all.
This is the home of one of New Zealand's 9 Great Walks - the.Tongariro Northern Circuit
I enjoy the area for its remoteness. We cruised along route 47 with no other traffic around. What a great place to have a camper van.
Approximately one million people visit Tongariro National Park each year. Despite the popular ski fields on Mount Ruapehu, there are more visitors in summer than winter due to the excellent hiking in the area.
The Te Maari craters on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro erupted on 6 August 2012 Traditionally Ngauruhoe has erupted at least every nine years, although the last eruption was in 1975.
Mount Ruapehu's eight glaciers are the only ones in the North Island. The summit region has a permanent cover of snow and ice. With the height of 2797 metres it is the highest point on the North Island.
There are nine serviced backcountry huts along two multi-day circuit hiking tracks. It is a fantastic experience going on an overnight hiking trip but this time David and I thought it best not to linger saving that for later this summer. So we stopped at the Tongariro Holiday Park to settle in for the evening and have a chat with the managers Greg and Donna the perfect hosts as I see it.
It was warm and toasty inside our camper van. We were very comfortable. One of the major questions I have received over the years has been “Can we keep warm”. No problem folks with a good camper van......
In answer to that: I have never been more comfortable than on this trip. First the van heater while driving fulfills all you need then when stopped we have used both the van heater and then the small external heater provided. I am sitting here now in my t-shirt while outside the weather is freezing. You have no worry about getting cold in one of these vans.
For you out there who are coming this way the Tongariro Holiday Park is the ideal Mount Ruapehu ski spot to locate plus they have great access to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and other tracks. Again if you wish to challenge a mighty rainbow this is a perfect place to begin to access the National Park rivers and lakes.
With the weather closing in David and I said a hasty goodbye and headed out to route 4 where right at the junction there is a fuel station owned by a wonderful couple who are passionate about the area. By the way make sure you keep topped up as there are times it is some distance between fuel locations especially in the South Island.
Turn off route 4 onto route 49 and you will discover the “carrot” town of Ohakune. (check to see why it has a large carrot as the town symbol) and then we end up at the town of Waiouru, home to our military museum. The army uses this desert country for training.
From here we are off south to Wellington for the evening. It turns out I got an email from
Greg and Donna from the Tongariro Holiday Park that said less than two hours after we left the storm hit and the road was closed. We were congratulating ourselves on such wondeful timing and planning. Little did we know what was in store for us in Wellington.
The only stop along the way we made was at one of my favourite cafes, Brown Sugar, in the gumboot capital of New Zealand, Taihape, to sit and enjoy a late lunch.
As I have said hundreds of times one of the true joys of traveling New Zealand by camper van is being able to stop along a peaceful scenic area and in the comfort of your own world fix and enjoy a meal......and this time we stopped at Otaki Beach
to take a break.
It is a 3 /12 hour drive from the Tongariro region to Wellington and this was a good stop before we get to the city...............
(to be continued)
Back to the main blog page
From Taupo we now head south on route one that follows the eastern shores of Lake Taupo passing by Five Mile Bay and meandering along the lake to come to the town of Turangi having crossed the trout filled Tongariro river. If you enjoy fishing you will find nirvana here.
Two routes to take south here out of Turangi the first is to continue along route one through the highland desert country and on south. The other route is to go deeper into the Tongariro National Park taking route 41 to route 47 south. Either way you will get a good view of the volcanoes - Mount Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu.
I wanted to stop and stay at the Tongariro Holiday Park to say hello to two very fine folks who run it and I enjoy staying in the high alpine region. Another reason we heard the weather report that a real Antarctic storm was approaching. I have been caught out before when route one has been closed through the desert road area. Maybe we can miss it.
Tongariro was the first national park to be established in New Zealand (1887), and the fourth in the world. It is unique in that it was the first national park in the world to be gifted by a country's indigenous people.
It is a place of extremes and a place to explore and enjoy by camper van. From herb fields to forests, from tranquil lakes to desert-like plateau and active volcanoes - Tongariro has them all.
This is the home of one of New Zealand's 9 Great Walks - the.Tongariro Northern Circuit
I enjoy the area for its remoteness. We cruised along route 47 with no other traffic around. What a great place to have a camper van.
Approximately one million people visit Tongariro National Park each year. Despite the popular ski fields on Mount Ruapehu, there are more visitors in summer than winter due to the excellent hiking in the area.
The Te Maari craters on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro erupted on 6 August 2012 Traditionally Ngauruhoe has erupted at least every nine years, although the last eruption was in 1975.
Mount Ruapehu's eight glaciers are the only ones in the North Island. The summit region has a permanent cover of snow and ice. With the height of 2797 metres it is the highest point on the North Island.
There are nine serviced backcountry huts along two multi-day circuit hiking tracks. It is a fantastic experience going on an overnight hiking trip but this time David and I thought it best not to linger saving that for later this summer. So we stopped at the Tongariro Holiday Park to settle in for the evening and have a chat with the managers Greg and Donna the perfect hosts as I see it.
It was warm and toasty inside our camper van. We were very comfortable. One of the major questions I have received over the years has been “Can we keep warm”. No problem folks with a good camper van......
In answer to that: I have never been more comfortable than on this trip. First the van heater while driving fulfills all you need then when stopped we have used both the van heater and then the small external heater provided. I am sitting here now in my t-shirt while outside the weather is freezing. You have no worry about getting cold in one of these vans.
For you out there who are coming this way the Tongariro Holiday Park is the ideal Mount Ruapehu ski spot to locate plus they have great access to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and other tracks. Again if you wish to challenge a mighty rainbow this is a perfect place to begin to access the National Park rivers and lakes.
With the weather closing in David and I said a hasty goodbye and headed out to route 4 where right at the junction there is a fuel station owned by a wonderful couple who are passionate about the area. By the way make sure you keep topped up as there are times it is some distance between fuel locations especially in the South Island.
Turn off route 4 onto route 49 and you will discover the “carrot” town of Ohakune. (check to see why it has a large carrot as the town symbol) and then we end up at the town of Waiouru, home to our military museum. The army uses this desert country for training.
From here we are off south to Wellington for the evening. It turns out I got an email from
Greg and Donna from the Tongariro Holiday Park that said less than two hours after we left the storm hit and the road was closed. We were congratulating ourselves on such wondeful timing and planning. Little did we know what was in store for us in Wellington.
The only stop along the way we made was at one of my favourite cafes, Brown Sugar, in the gumboot capital of New Zealand, Taihape, to sit and enjoy a late lunch.
As I have said hundreds of times one of the true joys of traveling New Zealand by camper van is being able to stop along a peaceful scenic area and in the comfort of your own world fix and enjoy a meal......and this time we stopped at Otaki Beach
to take a break.
It is a 3 /12 hour drive from the Tongariro region to Wellington and this was a good stop before we get to the city...............
(to be continued)
Back to the main blog page
