Walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
This one-way crossing in New Zealand's Tongariro National Park climbs to Red Crater at 1,886 metres (6,188 feet), past steaming vents, lava flows and the vivid Emerald Lakes. The Department of Conservation allows seven to eight hours in summer and asks for high fitness.
Demanding£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksOutdoorsAlone or with othersNew ZealandNovember to April without alpine skills; May to October is winter
How to start
- Read the Department of Conservation's track page and book your walk, which is free and needed for shuttles.
- Book a shuttle, as there is no visitor parking at the Mangatepōpō start in summer.
- Check the NIWA forecast and the park's daily advisory the evening before, and walk another time if it says not today.
Where to go
We opened this link on 27 October 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
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