|
ESSENTIALS
|
| Starting
point: Whakapapa Village (see
map) |
| Finish:
Whakapapa Village (the track can be walked in both directions) |
| Time
required: 3 full days for a fit party in good weather
conditions (nights at Mangaturuturu and Rangipo Huts for
example), 4-6 days at a more leisurely pace. |
|
Stages:
- Whakapapa to Whakapapaiti Hut: 2 1/2 hours
- Whakapapaiti Hut to Mangaturuturu Hut: 5 hours
- Mangaturuturu Hut to Mangaehuehu Hut: 5 1/2 hours
- Mangaehuehu Hut to Rangipo Hut: 5 1/2 hours
- Rangipo Hut to Waihohonu Hut: 5 1/2 hours
- Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa: 5 1/2 hours
|
| Huts
& campsites: You need to purchase night passes
before setting out. Read
more... |
| Difficulty:
Track of tramping standard, well signposted and poled.
In fine weather and good conditions the track can be walked
by all persons of average fitness. Read more about Safety
on the Round the Mountain Track. |
| Transport:
Whakapapa Village provides safe car parking. Also bus
service from Auckland, Taupo, Wellington
|
| Season:
Best when the track is clear of snow, from December to
May. Possible in all season by suitably experienced and
equipped parties. |
| Equipment:
this is mountain terrain. The equipment carried should
reflect track conditions and be adapted to quickly changeable
and sometimes harsh weather conditions. |
| Before
setting out: check with the Park's
Visitor Centre for weather forecast, track conditions
and other specific information. |
This walk which makes a great loop around
Ruapehu is very interesting in many respects. It is long enough
to be of interest to those who seek a substantial experience
in nature. It is not crowded, and usually offers a sense of
solitude and wilderness. There is a variety of environmental
conditions, which change markedly and even dramatically from
one side of Ruapehu to the other. While the south and west
quarters of the mountain are densely forested and dripping
with water, the eastern and northern quarters are dry, with
hardly a single tree. The abruptness of the transition from
the forest and bogs of the southern quarter to the Rangipo
Desert is especially striking.
Being as it is perched on the flank of
a mountain, and for most of the going above the treeline,
the track offers superb views almost continuously. The faraway
landscapes include the Whanganui country, Mt Taranaki, the
Desert Road, Kaimanawa Ranges, and Ngaruhoe. On the mountain
side the various summits of Ruapehu tower above a spectacular
landscape made of an intricacy of lava flows, high cliffs
and deep gorges, and many waterfalls.
The track is of good tramping standard
and many sections of boardwalk have been constructed in marshy
areas to make the going easier. While the track sidles the
mountain side within a fairly narrow altitudinal range, all
streams radiating down the slopes are crossed one after the
other, and this often involves a steep descent to the streambed
followed by a steep ascent on the other side. Each days walk
therefore includes a significant amount of uphill going.
