West edge of Tongariro National Park
My 35 year son and I will tramping around the North Island for 2 weeks in the latter part of April. Most hikes seem straight-forward (The Pinnacles, Te Aroha,etc.) but I am thinking of something a little creative in Tongariro and I would like to talk with someone knowledgeable about it. Namely, park the camper van at Mangahuia, take the Whakapapaiti Hut Track, stop overnight at Mangaturuturu Hut, hike out to Horopito, then take the train (at least the map shows train tracks heading north and south)back up to National Park, and then hitch a ride back to the camper van. Is this feasible? We want a good hard 2 day hike, but would prefer not to backtrack. We are serious hikers from California. Look at gallery.me.com/billdoty to see what we like. In fact i would really like to dialogue with someone who does a lot of tramping around the North Island. Maybe skype at some point? My email address is [Email address removed]. Thanks. Bill Doty
25 comments
Ive done a lot of walking in the area, and in October last year walked the Horopito Track for a change of scene. There had been a lot of rain the previous couple of months, so it was very muddy. Also, there were a lot of trees down at the farm end, which made access by vehicle very difficult, if not impossible after a certain point, so we walked out to the road, taking an extra hour or two. To be honest, its not an area I would do a repeat visit to, unlike most of the rest of Tongariro National Park.
If this is your first visit to the park, the above suggestion is a great one.
The Northern Circuit is great. You can climb Ngauruhoe if the weather is ok which is fantastic. I like to spend one of the nights in Ketetahi Hut - the views out over Lake Rotoaira, Taupo and Mt Pihanga are stunning.Beautiful morning and evening light. You have to walk back up to the Crossing the next day, but it's not hard. That gives you a second shot at part of the Crossing if the weather was bad the 1st day. DoC are going to start a booking system for the Northern Circuit which should help to reduce some of the overcrowding problem. It's a Great Walk so will cost more of course.
First of all, thanks to everyone who has posted info and advice. I am thinking of following the advice of Quarta_Master, but I want some additional info. Would the trek start from Hwy46 and pass by Ketatahi Hut, split left at the junction and head towards Oturere Hut, from there to Waihohonu Hut, then head west towards Chateau Tongariro (yes, with a side trip to the Tama Lakes),then to Mangatepopo Hut, then back at the initial junction go left back to the start of the trip (past Ketatahi Hut)?
Could this be done in 2 days/one night? My son and I are energetic hikers (20 miles in a day easily). Would my vehicle and contents be safer starting at Whakapapa Village or Chateau Tongariro (by the way, what is this place?) and simply doing the loop described above?
I like the hike described by pmcke, but I am not able to identify on my map(I have the North Island Touring Guide and Atlas by HEMA) any of the places he cited. Where is Grey's Road? And how would I get there from either Ragland (where my son would be surfing for the day while I hike) or from Waitomo caves area where we both would hike after a cave trip (not the one for the masses)?
An aside from the post but the Waihohonu Hut is getting replaced in the very near future came across my desk for a material estimation a couple of weeks ago now.
Personally I would start and finish at Whakapapa Village, where vehicle security is much better than at Ketetahi or Mangetepopo carparks. Some people do the circuit in 2 days, it would be a bit rushed for my liking.
The Chateau is a large, grand old hotel / historic building, dating back to the late 1920's. Would love to be able to afford it but I just get to stay at the motor camp or Skotel!
Maybe you need a more area specific map. If you go onto the Dept of Conservation website and look up Pirongia Forest Park, you can download an information brochure and map of the mountain with the roads leading into it.
Bill, I'd park at the Chateau (increased overnight security in carpark opposite the hotel and toilets there)pre-organise a shuttle to take you to the Maungatopopo start of the track (about $15 each) saves an hours walk between Chateau and M'topopo and another hour on exit. The circuit can then be done (Wx permitting)in two full days (Possible camp required if the Waihohonu Hut replacement is underway. Campsites beside stream abound. Can be tough area in bad Wx
Alternatives routes abound also.
eg.Stay M'topopo Hut, climb Mt Ngaruahoe, stay Oturere Hut , exit to Desert Road (east side, pickup reqd; otherwise the classic Tongoriro Crossing M'topopo to the aforementioned Ketatahi Hut; and many others.
The site for the new Waihohonu Hut is quite different from the present one. It is to be on the other side of the river nearer to the old historic hut. I doubt there will be any disruption to the availability of accomodation dueing construction.
I must be missing something here. A new hut at Waihohunu whats wrong with the old hut it looked quite new to me with more than enough room for big parties. I would have thought there where other more deserving establishments in need of urgent attention.
Search the forums
| Forum | Tracks, routes, and huts |
|---|---|
| Started by | Bill Doty |
| On | 7 February 2010 |
| Replies | 24 |
| Permanent link | |
Participation in the forums signifies acceptance of forum rules.
In order to manage spam, new members are limited to 1 post every 10 minutes.
Formatting your posts
The forums support MarkDown syntax. Following is a quick reference.
| Type this... | To get this... | |
|---|---|---|
| Italic | *Italic text* | *Italic text* |
| Bold | **Bold text** | **Bold text** |
| Quoted text | > Quoted text | > Quoted text |
| Emojis | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: | :smile: :+1: :astonished: :heart: |
| Lists |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
- item 1 - item 2 - item 3 |
| Links | https://tramper.nz | https://tramper.nz |
| Images |  URL/of/image |
 |
| Mentions | @username | @username |