1
alt caption
By Michael Beckmann
2023-02-17T00:00:00.000Z • Tongariro National Park

Combining the Tongariro Northern Circuit and Round The Mountain Track

Hike

Film about the hike



Links

Start / Finish

  • The start / finish is Whakapapa Village.
  • In Whakapapa Village you can park your car for free. Just head into the Tongariro Visitor Centre and they will give you a ticket to display behind the window of your vehicle.

Season

  • It’s recommended to do this hike during the summer months, which is when I did it. 
  • During winter this hike requires an ice axe and crampons. 
  • Extra care is required to ensure there is a good weather window as most of the track is open and thus exposed. 

Campsites / Huts

  • The section of the Tongariro Northern Circuit is a ‘Great Walk’ during summer, meaning it’s busy (especially the section of the Tongariro Crossing with day walkers) and you must prebook all huts (first come first served during winter).
  • The huts on the Round the Mountain Track are first come first served, both in summer and winter. 
  • You are allowed to wild camp in Tongariro National Park, only you have to be 500m away from the track. 
  • The Huts that I stayed in were:
    • Magatepopo Hut
    • Rangipo Hut
    • Whakapapaiti Hut

Maps / Info

  • Please see the DOC website for detailed information on the Tongariro Northern Circuit and here for the Round the Mountain Track.  
  • Pay a visit to the Tongariro Visitor centre to get the latest info on track conditions and weather. 

Food / Water

  • All huts have rainwater you can drink. Just mind that in winter the pipes could get frozen leaving you without running water. 
  • Out on the trail there is no option to get water. Even though you do walk past some lakes / streams, these are either not accessible or contain sulphur from the volcanic activity. I found you could easily fill up at each hut. 

Route / Conditions

  • In total the track is 87 km, often walked in a clockwise direction.
  • Optional: summiting Mount Ngauruhoe, adds a nice 2 to 3 hours to your day.
  • Optional: summit Mount Tongariro, by following the Mt Tongariro Summit Route.
  • The track is well maintained but can be slippery and icy during winter. 
  • The track is also well marked. But mind you bad weather could greatly decrease your visibility, especially if you are in a white-out on this exposed track.

1
Hike

Day 1

The first day saw me driving down from Auckland to Whakapapa Village, where I parked the car. Having arrived around lunch time I made my way onto the trail towards Motatapu Hut. This first section only took me around 3 hours and before dinner I had made it to the hut. 

2
Hike

Day 2

To avoid going up with all the other people the next day, I woke up at 4am to have breakfast, pack up the tent and make sure I was out on the trail before anyone else.
At around 5am I was out on the trail and already at this time I could see lights pop up a way down the valley. At least I was ahead and started walking up towards the South Crater. 
The timing ended up very well and I reached this right around sunrise, giving me some amazing colours on the landscape around me (it’s when I took the cover photo).  
After this you follow the track towards the Emerald Lakes and at this point I diverted away from the Tongariro Crossing day hikers, giving me much more calm. 
Note, next time around I would definitely take a side trip to Mt Tongariro along the Summit Route with the same name. This can give you some incredible scenery of the park. Alternatively you can also summit Mt Ngauruhoe. 
Anyway, I made it past Oturere Hut where I filled up my water bottle and headed towards Waihohonu Hut. This was where I had a (belayed) lunch at 2pm and decided to keep moving towards Rangipo Hut for the night. If you have time for an extra day, I would definitely suggest spending the night at Waihohonu Hut, as to break up this section and making it more manageable.
For me it was going to be a long day, 30+ km of hiking. But after the Tongariro Crossing section a lot of the track is stretched out and sort of flattish. In saying this, you do cross Lahar Valleys, making you climb up and down them. In return it gives for impressive scenery which I have not seen anywhere else in New Zealand!
Pretty exhausted I reached Rangipo Hut, where I had a sink-shower, made my dinner for the night and hit the sack straight away. Trying to catch as much rest for another long day when I would wake up. 

3
Hike

Day 3

In hindsight I had rushed this hike quite a bit, but that literally came to be as I was told to start my new (long awaited for) job as soon as possible. Fortunately they were willing to postpone the start by a day or so and I reckoned I could hike this in four days (including driving to and from Auckland). It did mean today was going to be another 30+ km hike. So be it :)
This third day was by far the most impressive section. Ok, I know everyone loves the Tongariro Crossing Section, but as I had done that section multiple times already, I really enjoyed this (to me) new section, Rangipo Hut to Whakapapaiti Hut. 
Like I said on the second day, this area of the track makes you cross Lahar Valleys. Because of the size of them, you feel like a needle in a haystack which made me feel very impressed. 
The only downside on this section would be the road (Ohakune Mountain Road) you have to follow for a few kms, which isn’t too bad and gives for some easy walking. 
If you decide to take an extra day, I would recommend splitting up this section in two and sleeping for the night at Mangaturuturu Hut. 
For myself I finished the day at around 8pm being at Whakapapaiti Hut. It gave me a lot of peace of mind, as the next day would only be a short hike back to Whakapapa Village.

4
Hike

Day 4

Starting from Whakapapaiti Hut, you have to cross the Whakapapaiti Stream. When I did it I could simple rock jump my way across, but there are signs saying you have to be careful when a lot of rainfall has occurred making the stream act more like a (flooded) river. 
After crossing this stream you pretty much reach the bushline and walk through this all the way to Whakapapa Village. 
Before lunch time, I found myself already driving back towards Auckland. Having had intense and amazing four days out on the trail.