Hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit
How to get to the start of the track
Tongariro Northern Circuit starts and ends in Whakapapa Village.
The track to Waihohonu Hut starts at the Taranaki Falls car park, while the track to Mangatepopo Hut is just 20m down the road. There are overnight parking areas in the village, and you can get free parking permits and directions from the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre.
A view of Nngauruhoe on the way to Tama Lakes.
Day 1: Waihohonu Hut (15.4km, 5h 45m)
I had packed up and was ready to go by 7.30am, feeling pretty pumped to start my hike. I did a quick dash to wash my dishes in the holiday park’s kitchen. When I returned, stubborn resistance on the door knob almost jarred my wrist. Shit. Shit. Shit. I was locked out! The reception wasn’t due to open for another hour, so I took a nap in my car and waited. The slightly later start did mean having to sacrifice my morning soy mocha though. Bummer!
Most people walk the circuit in a clockwise direction, spending their first night at Mangatepopo Hut, Oturere Hut then Waihohonu Hut. I walked it in the opposite direction for two reasons - hut availability, and that I’m a stronger climber than going downhill on loose, dusty terrain.
There were already a few hikers on their way out from Waihohonu Hut before I even reached the Tama Lakes junction. It took me less than two hours to get there. It was only 10 mins to the Lower Tama Lake (45 mins to Upper Tama Lake), so I decided to find a nice rock and sat down for lunch.
Looking down at the Lower Tama Lake.
The junction sign said I had another three hours to the hut, but it took me almost an extra hour because of the heat. I’m used to walking under a thick canopy, and the 2pm desert sun did hit me with a surprising intensity. It wasn’t hot enough to feel my skin burning (I made sure I had plenty of sunscreen), but I was sweating in a lot of places that didn’t feel sexy.
I was tempted to jump into the Waihohonu River to cool down, but I was only an hour from the hut so I kept going. The last hour was mostly through undulating tussock and a few dry rocky riverbeds.
The current Waihohonu Hut is the second of its name, with the original hut located just 150m away. It was the first hut built in the Tongariro National Park in 1904. You can still visit the original hut, but you can’t stay there.
After finding a free bunk, I wrote my name on the booking register. Huts in the Great Walk season are usually fully booked, so once you claim your bed for the night, make sure to write it down on the register. These registers are also invaluable in the event of an emergency. The Waihohonu River is a couple of minutes down the hill from the hut and a great place to cool off. There’s no mobile reception here, but I did get some at the other huts.
The new Waihohonu Hut.
Oturere Hut.
Day 2: Oturere Hut (8km, 3.5hr)
The last day of 2022 - what better way to celebrate than go for a walk? After leaving the hut around 8am (again to escape the afternoon heat), the track heads into a Beech forest. A nice way to warm up the legs before tackling the uphill to come. There was a nice breeze blowing through the trees and it was the first time I really heard birdsong along the track.
Even though the track was undulating, the rolling hills (and desert mounds) made for a pleasant morning. There were a lot of people coming from the opposite direction quite early - which usually means they were planning on walking out that day. I saw a lot more kids in the groups heading towards Waihohonu.
There are a few river crossings along the track, but most streams at the time had either dried up or just needed a bit of rock hopping to keep the socks dry. I arrived at Oturere Hut before midday - there were already a few people there, but I still had the pick of the bunks. The French family from Waihohonu arrived soon after, and I ended up sharing a room with them.
I knew it would be a short day hiking, and had already planned naps and some quiet time reading my book. I underestimated how much energy I had, so I decided to walk down to the waterfall and stream to have a wash. That was probably the sketchiest track I’ve been on in awhile - keep your boots on, don’t walk down in your sandals!
It’s a bit of a steep climb down to the waterfall and stream, but definitely worth it.
After checking a gazillion times if the coast was clear, I got rid of a few layers and ducked my head under. Eventually a few more people came down too, and one of them was Renata from Tauranga. This was her first solo multi-day and she was walking the circuit in the opposite direction. From our chats by the stream, I learned she had left Mangatepopo Hut at 2am to watch the sunrise at Red Crater. She probably arrived at Oturere Hut before some of the hikers had even left Mangatepopo!
I spent the rest of the afternoon napping and reading my book. Each time I woke up, more people had arrived. There were a lot of family groups from Australia, and it was pretty cool to hear about their plans travelling around Aotearoa New Zealand. Describing Whakatāne’s location always ended up with, “Have you heard of Rotorua or Tauranga? I live an hour from there.”
The last sunset of 2022 - she was a stunner!
Renata and I found a nice rock to watch the last sunset of 2022, and a scattering of silhouettes amongst the tussocks suggested that everyone else had the same idea. A nearby group even brought hot chocolate and marshmallows. Why didn’t I think of that?
There was good reception on the hill above the campsite, so I decided to get in early to greet people with a “happy new year”. As the light around me faded, the river grew louder. I suddenly realised most of the humans had gone to bed and it wasn’t even 9:30pm.
First sunrise of 2023 at Oturere Hut.
Day 3: Mangatepopo Hut (12km, 5.5hr)
I hadn’t planned on getting up for the sunrise, but a toilet run at 5.30am (more like a waddle) meant there was no going back to sleep. After taking a gazillion photos, I grabbed my cooker and food bag to make breakfast outside. It was lovely to sip my first cup of coffee for 2023 surrounded by mountains and sunshine.
The first hour on the way to the Emerald Lakes is mainly flat with the typical dusty and loose gravel in a volcanic area. Easy walking, but can trip you up if you’re not paying attention. There are two uphill sections to climb before the Emerald Lakes - the 150m elevation along 150m of track is a gut buster, but with great reward at the top. It was cool watching the French family climbing ahead of me - we were all like ants slowly making our way to the top.
I was still catching my breath as I walked down to the first Emerald Lake (there are two). I watched a group of hikers timing a jump shot at the lake’s edge. One of them turned out to be Marissa, an American I met at Waihohonu Hut the day before. A section of the circuit is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, the most picturesque section in my opinion.
The Lower Emerald Lake.
Walking the circuit in reverse meant walking up the infamous scree section to the Red Crater (1886m.a.s.l and the highest part of the track). It took me about an hour to get to the Red Crater, but I did stop a few times to give some people tips on better ways to walk down scree. It was a slow slog, so my apple was a great reward when I finally got to top. The wind had picked up, so I decided to walk down a bit more before devouring my apple. What a view!
It wasn’t even midday and I was almost past the South Crater. There were a few TAC stragglers, some in better shape than others. I knew the most challenging sections of the day were behind me and I could feel my hikers legs finally kicking in.
A view of Ngauruhoe from the Red Crater.
I came across a hiker who had overtaken me going up the scree. He was eating lunch along the Devil’s Staircase. We smiled at each other but I didn’t stop for too long as I didn’t want to get cold. I learned that he was walking out to Whakapapa Village that day. “We’re lucky we were at the Red Crater earlier, it’s cloudy now. It’s a good day.” He called out as he walked past me on the boardwalk after Soda Springs.
Mangatepopo Hut was fairly quiet when I got there early afternoon - it was day one for most people so I guess they would be arriving later. I found a free bunk, signed in and planned on reading my book and having a quick nap. Not long into my chill time, I got a tap on my foot and it was the mum from the French family that was staying at the same huts as me. She asked me if I wanted some tea, so I joined her and her family at the table.
Mangatepopo Hut.
She and her husband are both nurses and they currently live in New Caledonia. They have three daughters - the oldest is studying high school in Australia, while the twins live at home. Turns out most of her family live in Australia, and the girls were all born there. The oldest and the mum speak English the best, but the dad and twins still understand and speak some. I think the twins will eventually go to high school in France. They were in the country for another week after the hike.
There were a couple of Japanese guys who had cooked fresh rice, like enough for about ten people. I had dehydrated chicken Tikka Masala which was tasty and the perfect comfort food, and the taste of fresh rice just went straight to my soul.
Every hut warden I’ve met on a Great Walk shares their pepeha at the start of their hut talk. There were some confused faces around the room, mostly for those who took awhile to realise he wasn’t speaking English. Hut talks usually cover health and safety and a chance to learn a bit about the history of the area. Turns out it’s Ranger Luke’s first season as a hut warden. He’s actually a Biosecurity Ranger, working on the kiwi programme in the Mangatepopo area. There are about 200 kiwi birds in the area, and summer is a busy time for young chicks.
Day 4: Whakapapa Village (9.4km, 3.5hr)
This was my least favourite part of the circuit, and a lot of people had been warning me about the eroded state of it for the last few days. I was sceptical, I mean, I’m used to rugged tracks. No really, this was RUGGED.
Not surprising, given the wet winter and sandy and clay soil. Plus a lot of the track is along dried up stream beds. Picture the unnatural erosion of a 4WD track, but as a narrow hiking track instead. Add the trampling of boots on tussock and shrubs that usually hold it together and you get the rutted mess of the Mangatepopo Track. The impact of our presence in nature was something I reflected a lot on during those few hours.
I was a bit over the track when the Chateau Tongariro came into view. There was still a bit of track to cover according to my topo app, so I started singing to myself to pass the time. As I got closer to the Taranaki Falls junction, I started seeing more day hikers. That last hour pushed me more than it should - I was hungry and tired from a lack of sleep. If I ever walked the circuit again, I could totally skip this section.
After a quick change at the toilets by the Tongariro Visitor Centre, I walked across the road to the food truck by the Whakapapa Holiday Park. I had been thinking about my walk out meal since I set off for Waihohonu three days earlier. Sitting on the lawn and tucking into that burger was a great way to end a wonderful few days hiking.
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Whakatāne, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.
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