Tongariro Alpine Crossing - Walk Details

Walk Details

Although the track can be walked in either direction, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is most commonly walked from Mangatepopo to Ketetahi, due to the Mangatepopo end being higher in altitude (1,120 m/3,670 ft) than the Ketetahi end (760 m/2,490 ft), therefore requiring less climbing. The crossing takes about seven hours of steady walking to complete in good weather, with an hour extra required if walked from the Ketetahi end to allow for the extra climbing, and more time required in winter (May to October) or in bad weather. A reasonable level of fitness is required, and trampers are advised to carry a day bag with water, food, torch and a waterproof jacket.

The crossing is a one-way journey, starting on the west side of Mount Tongariro and finishing on the north side. As a result, returning to the western end requires either retracing the entire 19.4 km crossing, or walking 26 km via State Highways 46 and 47 back to the other trailhead. Trampers therefore need to arrange transportation back from one trailhead back to the other. A number of bus and coach companies offer transport services catering to the walk, collecting trampers from hotels and hostels in the surrounding towns and dropping them at the Mangatepopo trailhead in the early morning. The same vehicles then meet the walkers in the late afternoon at the Ketetahi trailhead to transport them back to their accommodation. A group of trampers with two vehicles can easily arrange transportation themselves by parking one of the vehicles at the Ketetahi end of the crossing before commencing at the Mangatepopo end, returning to Mangatepopo end by road after completing the crossing to pick up the other vehicle.

The track begins at the western end near the Mangatepopo Hut with a gentle 60 to 90 minute valley walk to the foot of the steep Tongariro saddle. This part of the crossing is the only part suitable for younger children or older mobile people who do not want to walk the entire track. People with their own transport can drive to the Mangetepopo end car park and do a "there and back" valley walk, in about 2-3 hours. This valley walk leads to a steep 60-minute ascent and the most difficult part of the track. Further, smaller descents and ascents into and back out of two different craters, passing the Emerald Lakes and along the edge of the Blue Lake. Ketetahi Hut gives a good view of the Plateau to the north on a clear day. The last two hours of the walk involve a long descent down the northern flank of the volcano, passing the Ketetahi Hot Springs.