National park village, New Zealand Travel Blogs

To the North Island - first stop Tongariro N.P
May 17, 2008 (18 photos)

... going off - a lot different to the cities in the south. So, earlier than originally planned we headed off to National Park village, access to the Tongariro National Park. Here we would be getting our first ever encounter with not one, not two but three ...

Snowboarding at Turoa, Mt Ruapheu
Sep 5, 2004 (15 photos)

... slope and running back up it with one foot still attached to the board (excellent work out if anyone is looking for new exercise). We could see ourselves making progress which was encouraging and I did actually feel like i had some control over where the ...

Tongariro Crossing
Oct 20, 2003 (1 photos)

... in the distance. We had a lengthy rest at Ketahi hut halfway down where we ate lunch and sunbathed (and experienced New Zealand's smelliest latrine) then another stop at a thermally heated stream where we bathed our tired feet. Down through some scenic ...

Tongariro Crossing
Feb 8, 2009 (69 photos)

... the journey southbound over 4+ slow moving hours with a botched car radio - delightful. Our backpackers in National Park was adjacent to Whakapapa village (& village I use loosely). There is a huge climbing wall in the hostel as well as& ...

Ski 09
Aug 7, 2009 (49 photos)

... pigeon shooting. Having booked a cottage for the band 20 mins from the slopes we again made the lengthy trek south to National Park after work on Friday only stopping at the golden arches for some grease & a mcturd. Blurry eyed & yawning ...

Journey into Mordor
Oct 24, 2005 (6 photos)

Almost there
Jun 8, 2006

Blurb & Video to follow, when we return to Blighty and proper broadband!

Wellington to National Park Village
Feb 15, 2007 (5 photos)

Wednesday, February 14 Wellington to National Park Village We hate to tear ourselves away from the friendly folks and the lovely bay views of Moana Lodge, but we must be on our way north. Today is a drive through agricultural and grazing lands. We notice ...

17KM of hell but beautiful sights
Jan 31, 2005 (5 photos)

... had hiking boots that had been chilling in our bags for weeks so they needed to be used. The Tongariro Crossing is one of New Zealand's most popular walks. It goes up into the volcanoes, by the emerald lakes, through a thermal area, and finshes in the ...

Schnee und Eis
Sep 14, 2007 (13 photos)

Der Blick aus dem Van am Morgen war nicht berauschend. Der ganze Himmel voller Wolken. Ob unser heutiges Projekt scheitern sollte? Gestern hatten wir uns noch bei blauweißem Himmel Ski und Felle ausgeborgt. Mit keinen großen Erwartungen fuhren wir die ...

Taupo
May 26, 2005 (4 photos)

CONTINUED from previous entry More photos - just wait till you see the dvd of us jumping and the 45 secs freefall, it is so funny!!

The "Family"
May 22, 2009

From Waitomo, we headed towards National Park Village for a Help X placement. The village is not nearly as exciting as it sounds, but its super close to the famous Tongariro Crossing so we really wanted to stay there in hopes of getting a chance at doing ...

The Tongoriro Crossing! - Brave Little Noodle-Legs
Apr 10, 2009

Gotta get this down while I'm still all jazzed about it!!! So here it was, my big challenge. I was SO prepared it's.. well, its downright embarrassing prolly. Here is what I had in my pack for 7 hours of hiking: 4 PB+J sammiches 2 carrots 1 can ...

National Park Village
Feb 16, 2007

map pin.

Auckland to Wackapapa
Mar 10, 2009

... pap on this one but it is really just a circular track up a hill - go to Switzerland for Engineering marvels. Exited at national Park and after some effort found someone willing to give me a lift up the mountain to Whakapapa the outpost for all the ...

Cave tubing with the glow worms
Mar 3, 2009 (2 photos)

Today we went and did something that I highlighted in my guidebook as soon as I read about it... blackwater rafting through a cave system near Waitomo, with 'Glowworms' that are all over the ceilings. But we weren't leaving on the rafting trip until ...

Bloody Weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 19, 2009

... in winter and the Mountain is covered in snow and instead of taking the bus i take the transenic railway from wellington to National park and an a mazing trip it was!! Once i get to national park i hunt down my accommodation and contract the guiding ...

Tangariro crossing track
Jan 4, 2008 (1 photos)

vandaag gaan we de 8 uur durende Tongariri crossing lopen

Tongariro Crossing
Feb 16, 2007 (10 photos)

Thursday, February 15 Tongaririo Crossing Joyce takes a day off today, doing laundry and Travelpod entries, while Keith hikes the Tongariro Crossing.  Why do this relatively strenuous 8-hr hike billed as the best one-day hike in NZ?   ...

Tongariro Crossing in REAL WEATHER!
Dec 20, 2009 (20 photos)

... my host and Mt. Ruapehu the place I first learned to ski. We met up with Kip at the local backpackers hostel in National Park for a hearty egg breakfast to fuel us for our intended outing: the "must do" Tongariro Crossing. The weather looked questionable ...

Tongariro National Park
Oct 17, 2007 (11 photos)

We arrived in Tongariro with high hopes of doing the Tongariro Crossing, which were quickly shattered by a heartless DOC ranger in merely seconds.  We discovered that at the moment it was referred to as the Tongariro ALPINE Crossing.  Did we ...

A looming sense of dread...
Mar 20, 2009 (3 photos)

This will probably be our shortest entry yet, as this entire day was spent driving from Taupo to Wellington. But we just wanted to share a few pictures that we took along the Desert Road just south of Taupo. After that Martijn fell asleep in the car and ...

Ski Sunday and Friday and Saturday
Jul 25, 2009 (1 photos)

Two weeks ago we went on a skiing trip to Whakapapa, about 4 and a half hours drive north. It was our first attempts at skiing (I tried snowboarding) so a lot of time was spent getting up off the floor. The weather was just about perfect for skiing, there ...

Disappointin' and Runnin'
May 16, 2009 (7 photos)

... visibility is reduced to about 5 feet.  Still after a day of driving in the rain and disappointment we arrive at National Park Village and a hostel to rival all hostels - wood burning log fires, an in house chef,  a kitchen the size of ...

National Park
Jan 19, 2009

Didn't do much today. We couldn't do the Tongariro Crossing (Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings) as the weather up there was too bad. Instead, we sat in the spa at the hostel and watched some Top Gear. It doesn't get better than that!

National Park
Dec 14, 2005 (9 photos)

... past lava flows, crater floors, emerald lake and other spectacular scenery. Getting to our collection point, unfortunately some git from the park decided that today was not the day for walking. Given that we were on a tour schedule it was pretty much now ...

Pretty Volcano. Don't Kill Me.
May 1, 2007

... hike in New Zealand, and we were burning rubber to get there in time to do it. We pulled off in the aptly named village of National Park for a fill up on the petrol.  Ouch! Nearly 70 dollars later, I limped away from the station, wondering if we ...

I am a wimp.
Feb 1, 2005

Nothing really to report here except I am a lazy wimp. Had the option to spend 8 hours walking up a mountain and decided instead to relax in the hostel. Yes, I suck. But 8 hours of walking without hiking boots doesn't sound like my idea of fun. Had I had ...

Tongariro Crossing .. the ultimate day tramping!
Nov 1, 2006 (15 photos)

... in NZ was a serious run around for us to try and see all that we desired, so by the time we made it to National Park Village in the Tongariro National Park we were already knackered and dreading our walk, or tramp as the Kiwis call it. Still we wanted ...

Hiking up to Lower Lake Tama
May 14, 2008 (25 photos)

We stayed overnight at the base of the three volcanoes. It was very, very cold. Had to "hire" an extra blanket. Got to about -4 c. Slept in: 2 shirts, sweater, jacket, sweatshirt, pj pants, jeans, and 2 paris of socks. Spent the next day hiking ...