The table below lists some of the many walks and natural features found nearby, and includes the photo points that can be earned (a logging requirement):
To find out more about the park, attached are two editions of the DOC booklet: Walks in and around Tongariro National Park 2015 and 2022
For Lord of the Rings Locations DOC has created this website, click here: LOTR
Whakapapa village is the gateway to adventure:
- Walks range from 10 minutes to multi-day hikes
- Visit the Visitor Centre, with its information panels and movie theatre
- Take a seat and watch a sunrise or sunset over the Mountains
- In winter ski-ing, snow boarding and snow play
- Hire a bike, and cycle down the Bruce road
- Search the night sky: Milky Way, Southern Cross and Matariki (Pleiades, Subaru, Mao, Krittika)
- Have a High Tea or a coffee at the Pinnacles cafe after a ride on the Sky Waka Gondola
- See the Lord of the Rings film locations (Whakapapa ski-field: The land of Mordor, Meads Wall: Emyn Muil, Tawhai falls: Gollums pool, Mount Ngāuruhoe: Mount Doom)
- Or perhaps stop, chill and enjoy the view!
Mount Ruapehu (2797m) the North Island’s highest mountain
Mount Ngāuruhoe (2291m)
Mount Tongariro (1978m)
This is an area of Volcanic activity:
Mount Ruapehu is a stratovolcano, or composite volcano built of alternating layers (strata) of lava flows, ash, scoria and other volcanic rocks.
Mount Tongariro is a multiple stratovolcano, meaning it has multiple vents and craters.
Mount Ngāuruhoe geologically is part of Mount Tongariro, but visually appears as a separate mountain.
A BRIEF HISTORY AND TIMELINE:
1894 - Tongariro National Park created
1920 – Whakapapa Cottage/Hut built (was located near the Chateau)
1923 – New Zealand’s first ski club hut: Glacier Hut was built by the Ruapehu Ski Club at Hut Flat
1925 – Road access to Whakapapa created via Bruce Road
1929 – Chateau Tongariro construction commences, and building completed
1930 – Bruce Road extended to above the Chateau Tongariro
1934 – Bruce Road Extended to Lower Scoria Flat
1940 – Bruce Road completed to where it now ends at the Top o' The Bruce
1945 - Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1953 - Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) was formed
1953 - Tangiwai train disaster caused by a lahar from crater lake Mt Ruapehu
1954 - First chairlift in New Zealand installed at Whakapapa
1954 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1969 - Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1974 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1975 - Eruption: Mt Ngāuruhoe
1993 - Tongariro National Park became a UNESCO dual World Heritage site (natural & cultural)
1995 – Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
1996 – Eruption: Mt Ruapehu
2007 – A lahar from crater lake, Mt Ruapehu flows into the Whangaehu river
2012 - Eruption: Te Maari crater, Mt Tongariro
2022 - Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) put into voluntary administration and facing insolvency
2023 – Chateau Tongariro closes due to cost of earthquake-strengthening the hotel
To meet the logging requirements, there are two parts that need to be completed:
PART 1
(A) Create an Email address.
Go to the posted co-ordinates, nearby is a large sign.
- At the front of the sign, use the largest "font" words only. Link the first and last words, no capitals (two words combined: abcdevwxyz )
- Attached to the right post for the sign, behind, is a small green tag, engraved on it are 6 numbers ( 123456 )
The email address is a combination of the: two words and six numbers @gmail.com
abcdevwxyz123456@gmail.com
In the subject line of the email give your username/caching name.
The text of your email can be blank.
(B) Send an email message to the Email address created at (A).
You should get a confirmation email within 1-2 minutes if your email address is correct (remember to check your junk or spam folders).
The confirmation email will provide information on how to attach the "Tongariro National Park Virtual Badge" to your Public Profile page for your Geocaching account.
Once you have received this confirmation email, you can then log your find with the photo's taken at one or more of the "Additional Waypoints" Reference Point locations (see PART 2).
Those caching in a group, each Cacher needs to send their own email, and attach their own photo's to the "found it" log to be able to log this find.
Any "found it" logs maybe deleted if this email has not been sent.
PART 2
Take photo's at any of the listed locations (one photo per location) and earn a total of 15 photo points.
Each photo is worth points, see "Additional Waypoints" Reference Point list to see the photo locations and its allocated points.
Once you have 15 photo points, include each location photo with your "found it" log.
You may need to visit multiple locations along the road to earn enough photo points.
It is your choice as to which locations to visit, for example:
- Silica Rapids 10 pts + Mounds Walk 5 pts = 15 points
- Taranaki Falls 10 pts + Tawhai Falls 5 pts = 15 points
- Meads Wall 5 pts + Whakapapa Nature Walk 5 pts + Knoll Ridge Chalet 5 pts = 15 points
- Skyline Trail = 15 points
All photo locations are accessible from SH48 or the Bruce Road (Trailhead waypoints for each photo location have been included on this cache page).
Be creative, there are many amazing places to visit and explore.
If you are limited to one photo when logging from phone, you can log in browser, which allows more photo's to be uploaded.
Remember logs maybe deleted if these photo's are not provided.
Please note: any photo's taken prior to the "Hidden" date for this cache will not be accepted.
Now you have completed these logging requirements, I hope you have enjoyed completing this virtual cache, and exploring a small part of the Tongariro National Park.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.