Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ohakune: volcanoes, snow and the Desert Road

Tongariro National Park sits in the middle of the North Island and was New Zealand's first national park — and one of the first in the world. It holds three active volcanoes: Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro. It is a dual World Heritage site, recognised both for its landscape and for its cultural significance to Ngāti Tūwharetoa, who gifted the mountain peaks to the nation in 1887.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Widely described as New Zealand's best day walk, and treated far too casually by a lot of people who attempt it. The essentials:

• It is roughly 19.4 kilometres one way and takes most walkers 6 to 8 hours.
• It is a one-way track between two car parks, so transport at both ends has to be arranged. A shuttle or private transfer is the normal answer.
• Parking at the Mangatepopo end is time-restricted, which is another reason most people are dropped off.
• It is a genuine alpine environment. Conditions change fast, exposed sections are cold and windy even in summer, and the track is regularly closed or made unsafe by weather.
• In winter it becomes a mountaineering route requiring ice axe, crampons and experience, or a guide.
• Check the Department of Conservation forecast and track alerts on the morning you walk, not the week before.

Ohakune and Ruapehu in winter

Mount Ruapehu carries the North Island's main commercial ski areas — Whakapapa on the northern side and Tūroa above Ohakune. Ohakune becomes a busy little snow town from roughly July to September, and it is also, unavoidably, the carrot capital of New Zealand, with a very large carrot at the entrance to prove it.

Mountain roads to the ski areas require chains to be carried in winter, and access can close at short notice. Ruapehu is an active volcano with a crater lake, and the volcanic alert level occasionally restricts access to upper areas.

The rest of the year

• The Old Coach Road between Ohakune and Horopito is a graded trail on a historic railway route, with cobblestones and two grand viaducts. Popular on foot and by bike.
• The Timber Trail, further west near Ōngarue, is a multi-day cycle route through native forest with long swing bridges.
• Whakapapa village and the short walks around it — Taranaki Falls and Tama Lakes — give you the mountain scenery without the Crossing's commitment.
• The Whanganui River Journey, one of the Great Walks, is actually a canoe trip and starts within reach.

The Desert Road

The stretch of State Highway 1 east of the mountains crosses the Rangipo Desert — a bleak, gravelly, tussock plateau that exists because of volcanic soils and rain shadow, not heat. It is spectacular in clear weather and the first road in the North Island to close in snow. Check conditions in winter and have the Taihape–Napier or SH4 alternatives in mind.