Tongariro

Teranaki Falls

Spent a couple of days in Tongariro National Park on the way from Coromandel to Wellington, mainly just to break up the long drive - it's about 9 hours total so it was a lot easier breaking it up into two shorter days. Plus, we lucked out with the weather and had a couple of spectacular days in the park for hiking. We had been here a few years ago but it was raining so hard that we just packed it in early and returned to Singapore, where we were living at the time.

Heading up towards Mt. Ruapehu

This time, as you can see, it was clear skies and sunshine which made a real pleasure to be out & about. The centerpiece of Tongariro is Mt. Ruapehu - an active volcano that last erupted about 15 years ago, and which is sacred to the Maoris.

Over the River and Thru the Woods

There are several great hikes in the area. One, the Tongariro Crossing, is considered to be the best one-day hike in New Zealand, which is saying plenty for a country full of great walks.
We covered a portion of that one on the way to Teranaki Falls, and then further up the mountain to a couple of high lakes (Upper & Lower Tama). Took about 5 hours round trip - but mostly over level ground so it was a fairly easy tramp.
Lots of pretty scenery as you can see.
Next stop is Wellington where we'll be for a week.