Established in 1887, Tongariro was the first national park in New Zealand and the fourth in the world. It is also a dual World Heritage area, a status which recognises the park's important Maori cultural and spiritual associations as well as its outstanding volcanic features.
It is a place of extremes and surprises, a place to explore and remember. From herb fields to forests, from tranquil lakes to desert-like plateau and active volcanoes - Tongariro has them all.
Tongariro National Park is located in the central North Island of New Zealand.
On Friday, mom and dad watched the kids while Ben and I went for a hike in the Tongariro National Park, only about 45 minutes from Omori. It began as an overcast day but ended up being the perfect hiking weather. I'm not sure of the distance but we hiked over 5 1/2 hours. We decided to take a trail that led through desert foliage, forest, by a beautiful waterfall, between the 2 volcanoes known as the "saddle" and to Tama Lake. It was absolutely gorgeous and we were so glad we took this path. It was quite a challenging hike, as well, full of steep inclines and rough trails at some points but worth every bit of sweat and huffin' & puffin' I had to give. Being alone we were able to have good quality time together.
At the beginning of our hike we each had one several layers of clothing and full backpacks. We were prepared for anything! :)
The trail was very well-kept with several walking planks and well-marked paths.
Near the volcanoes not much is able to grow. The foliage that could sustain this environment was beautiful.
Here you see the large mounds on the right of the picture...this is the edge of a lava flow.
Standing at the top of the falls looking down at the path we were to take on our trek back to "home base".
The waterfall was to the left of Ben and in front of him is a sheer drop-off. I was a little nervous, needless to say, that he could brave standing so close to the edge!
This was close enough to the edge for me.
Heading to Lower Lake Tama.
On the way we got breath-taking views of Mt. Ruapehu. This is the place to ski in the winter.
Mt. Ngauruhoe hid behind the clouds but we were still able to snap some great photos.
Lunch! Ham sandwiches, apple & water have become our staple picnic foods.
Checking out the map to make sure we were on the right path. I'm such the map reader! :)
Halfway! Whakapapa Village is where we began our journey.
Beautiful Lower Lake Tama, tucked between the 2 volcanoes.
Tongariro – Lord of the Rings location
The volcanically active landscape around Mount Tongariro was used as one of the major settings for New Zealander Peter Jackson's film Lord of the Rings. Mt Ngauruhoe was used as Mt Doom or Orodruin, the mountain of fire in the Land of Mordor. Significant proportions of the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy was filmed on location here in 1999 with the Tongariro National Park landscapes regularly featuring in parts of “The Fellowship of the Ring”, and its sequels “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”.
Ahhh...fresh air, quiet, peace...
Tawhai Falls
Smile! No you smile!
On the walk back, we stayed close to the stream created from the waterfalls. Magnificent!
Passer-bys made these rock statues and I wish we would have stopped to make one as well. They were really cool.
Last stretch home...it was a long hike but worth every minute.
We did it!
Magnificent. Serene. Quiet. God's Beauty Shining Through.
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