The Tongariro Crossing is regarded as a top day hike in New Zealand and some consider it as one of the best in the world. This trail is about 12 miles (19 km) and crosses over volcanic terrain of the still active Mount Tongariro. Most people choose to do the point to point hike from Mangatepopo to Ketetahi because the higher starting elevation makes the long day more manageable. There is a large carpark at the Ketetahi end of the trail and a shuttle system allows hikers to book transit to Mangatepopo in the morning so that when they finish the trail they are able to walk to their cars. The largest town near the trail head is Taupō, about an hour drive away and located on Lake Taupō, New Zealand’s largest lake. The town attracts visitors because of its outdoor water sports, hot springs, and other geothermal features. In order to reach Taupō from Wellington it is a nearly 5 hour drive and from Auckland it is a little over 3 hours by car. As part of a larger road trip from Wellington, Hawke’s Bay and Napier are popular destinations on the way to Taupō. If traveling to Auckland, some of the most popular destinations on the way include the Coromandel Peninsula, Hobbiton, and Rotorua.
Destination Overview
Hawkes Bay and Taupō
Rather than drive directly to Taupō from Wellington, we allocated additional time to take the scenic eastern route through the town of Napier. This allowed us to visit Kaitoke Regional Park, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, and the Hawke’s Bay Wine Region. Our first stop at Kaitoke Regional Park was less than an hour drive north of Wellington and a nice place to stretch our legs. It is one of the few places in New Zealand that had Lord of the Rings filming but left behind markers to commemorate it. Here we were able to read signs about exact filming locations, measure our height against a pole of characters, and pretend to be leaving Rivendell through a re-constructed archway. We continued our drive north with a detour at The Clareville Bakery for a snack. The delicious meat pies and pastries made this one of the best bakeries we visited so far in all of New Zealand.
After eating, we drove 30 minutes to the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. This wildlife centre’s primary mission is to help restore native wildlife with a focus on the birds of New Zealand. They utilize trapping and pest control methods to be able to successfully release birds from the breeding program into the wild. They started releasing kākā, a New Zealand parrot, into the forest in 1996 and the population has grown from 9 birds to nearly 160 with a goal to reach 600 in the near future. Their focus has now turned to rehabilitating the North Island brown kiwi, and through an incubation program have successfully established 15 kiwis in the forest. During our visit we were able to see many of the birds that currently reside in the sanctuary. At one point, we even saw a bird out of the cage and were told that once in the wild the birds at times return to visit their old homes. The most impressive part of the wildlife centre was the nocturnal kiwi house, where visitors can observe the nocturnal kiwis active during the daytime because the wildlife centre flipped the day for them. With the use of an infrared light that does not interfere with the kiwis, visitors can see the rare bird and this unique experience drives paid visits that help support the conservation efforts. Upon finishing at Pūkaha, we had about a 2 hour drive to Hastings in Hawke’s Bay, but already the extended road trip to Taupō had been well worth it.
Where to Read More
How to Spend 3-Days in Taupo, Including the Tongariro Crossing
A comprehensive itinerary to best explore Taupo, including details about the Tongariro Crossing, local Māori art, and geothermal areas.
An Interesting Fact
Hawke’s Bay is a Favorite Region for Kiwis
Hawke’s Bay was not on our initial must visit list for our time in New Zealand and we only focused on it after meeting Kiwis who kept recommending it as one of their favorite places to visit in New Zealand. After receiving enough recommendations, we decided to add the region as a detour during our drive from Wellington to Taupō. Hawke’s Bay is known for being New Zealand’s Art Deco Capital and for having excellent wineries. In 1931, a devastating earthquake hit the region and its largest town of Napier was re-built using the popular art-deco style. Today the architecture is well preserved and attracts travelers to experience it through tours of the town. Every year there is even an Art Deco Napier festival that includes jazz bars, vintage cars, and a lot of fun. Hawke’s Bay Wine Region is New Zealand’s second largest, and while it only accounts for around 6% of production, compared to 66% in Marlborough, it has become a sought out place for Kiwis looking for fine wine and tasty food.
Craggy Range Vineyards was recommended by friends we met, who currently live in Napier, for a top dinner experience. During our stay, we tried to make a reservation but it was fully booked so we decided to try our luck walking in. Prior to arriving at the winery we drove up to Te Mata Peak, where we had incredible views of the craggy range that inspired the name of the winery below. In the distance, we could see the ocean glimmering. The sun setting over the range was a spectacular sight. The area looked like it had nice hiking trails, but we wanted to try to have dinner at the winery so did not go on them. Upon arriving at Craggy Range Vineyards, the dining room and patio were fully reserved. However, one reservation did not show up, and we were in luck for a last minute seating. Initially, we struggled with what to order because everything looked good, and the table next to us recommended doing the shared menu which they said was the best way to sample the most popular items. The couple told us they have an annual trip to Hawke’s Bay and absolutely love the region as well as this winery. They were not wrong with their order advice, and the meal was great from starter to dessert. The knowledgeable sommelier helped guide us on wine pairings throughout, and the meal ended up being a top dinner experience in New Zealand for us so far.
While in Napier, we decided to do a self guided walk around the city to admire the Art Deco architecture. Some of the most impressive stops on the walk included Emerson Street, Art Deco Trust, and ASB Bank. The Art Deco Trust had a wonderful selection of themed souvenirs and offered numerous tour experiences by foot or even by historic car. A few of the historic cars were parked out front of the building and there were greeters dressed up in time period outfits to welcome visitors. We were encouraged to take a picture with them, and they kindly shared about their life in Napier. Although we did not spend a lot of time in the region, the combination of a great walk and a wonderful evening in Hawke’s Bay showed us why this area of New Zealand is so popular with locals.
Travel Tip of the Week
Schedule Buffer Days in Taupō for the Tongariro Crossing
The Tongariro Crossing is a long day hike and the experience is heavily dependent on the weather conditions. We met some people that did the hike and had such poor visibility that they could not see any of the iconic features of the peaks or sprawling landscapes from start to finish. In order to give us the best chance of seeing the colorful lakes, volcanic craters, and iconic Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings) we scheduled a few days in Taupō so that we could do the hike on the one that would be the best weather. Luckily for us there is a lot to do in Taupō and the nearby area, so it ended up being an overall great visit.
Our first day in Taupō had the worst weather with overcast skies and rain. We had booked a boat tour on Lake Taupō to The Ngātoroirangi Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings. The ride itself was nice but the captain told us that normally there are beautiful views of the mountains in the distance that were obscured by clouds. We still were able to see the impressive rock carving and learn about the Maori artist that did the work, which made for a great experience. After the tour we went to the Spa Thermal Park and swam in the Otumuheke Stream, a free natural rock pool with geothermally warmed water. At the end of the day we walked along the Lake Taupō lake front and admired a colorful sky at sunset.
The next day was scheduled to be the best weather so we ended up doing the Tongariro Crossing then. When we first arrived at the trail head and started to climb, it was pretty misty and greatly obstructed the view. However, the sun quickly burned off the mist and it was a perfectly clear day. The hike ended up being a favorite from our time in New Zealand, even though it was by far the busiest. At the end of the journey there was a fruit ice cream vendor near the parking lot. It was a wonderful way to celebrate completing the trail with a friend we met on the hike. On the way back to Taupō we stopped at Two Mile Bay Sailing Club because the sun was setting perfectly on Lake Taupō. It was packed with Kiwi families enjoying the gorgeous day, and we joined in for a drink on the water.
Our final day in Taupō was filled with other great activities in the event of bad weather, although it ended up being nice as well. This included starting the day off relaxing at the Wairakei Terraces & Thermal Health Spa. It was the perfect way to relax after a long day of hiking and the water at the silica terraces was said to have healing properties from the minerals. We continued our day by visiting some of the unique natural areas nearby such as the Huka Falls, Aratiatia Rapids, and Orakei Korako Geothermal Park & Cave. The geothermal park was our favorite, and reminded us a lot of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. A unique aspect of this park was that the walk did not have any guard rails which allowed you to get up close with scalding hot geothermal features throughout the walk. At the end of the day, we went to Grasshopper Chip Bar to pick up a classic New Zealand combination of fish and chips with Chinese food. The sun was once again setting perfectly on Lake Taupō, so we had a picnic dinner and reflected on the great visit we had in the Taupō area.
