West edge of Tongariro National Park

The replacement for Waihouhunu was announced some years ago, at the same time as the Hauhungaroa Hut, which has been built and in place for years. I wondered if it had been put off perminantly when they built a new deck on the old hut. The issue for relocating it is because the current location is a bit of a damp little corner and it was felt a hut would be nicer across the other side. While those old Lockwood style huts in Tongariro National park seem good and robust, they are dark inside and are showing their age a bit. Considering the number of people that go through I am not suprised that replacement is on the cards.

It was a great day weather wise when i visited last and perhaps the whole lockwood thing left me with a rather salubrious feeling still feels a bit over the top.

Hi Bill, Just a small comment that I haven't seen anyone else address - mileage in NZ is a different ballgame than mileage in CA. I have a bit of experience with both as I am a 2 time JMT thru-hiker, with plenty of additional Sierra and Bay Area miles under my boots. I live in NZ now and am slowly knocking off my To-Hike list here. I did the Tongariro Northern Circuit loop over two days last February (We spent the night at Waihohonu Hut, and the track starts and finishes at Whakapapa Village, which has a carpark). Our route was roughly 25-28 miles in total, but I would say that each day felt comparable to a 16-20 mile day in the Sierra. The undulating terrain is one cause of this, weather conditions can complicate things, and trail construction/maintenance is not necessarily what you might expect from your experience in CA. Depending on the conditions (rain, hail, wind, mud), it could feel more or less difficult for you. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip, it's a beautiful area.

Oops, I should clarify: we took a shuttle to start our trip at Mangatepopo, finishing at Whakapapa where we'd left our car. Apparently this cuts out the first hour(s) of unremarkable trail.

KatAttack: Thank you very much for your input. My mind is finally set on what to do re Tongariro. I will obtain permission to leave my camper van vehicle at Chateau Tongariro, have them transport us to the start at Mangatepopo (sounds good to cut off time on "unremarkable trail"), try to make it to Waihohonu Hut for the night, then back to the Chateau the next day (with a side trip to the Tama Lakes ... looks too good to pass by), and then spoil ourselves with a night at the Chateau in an old-time classic room (perhaps a sauna and jacuzzi?). I am mightily impressed with your 2 JMT hikes. What portions of the PCT have you done? Is there some way to connect to discuss other hikes that may be worth our attention during the 2 weeks in NZ? Is it possible to skype or ichat? Or I can call from my office, since I have a decent AT&T calling plan from the office.