Round the Mountain Track
A 66.2 km circuit of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, through the Rangipo Desert, lahar valleys and alpine tussock.
At a glance
- Loop from and back to
- Whakapapa Village
- Length
- 66 km
- On foot
- 4–6 days
- Countries
New Zealand- Best months
- October–April
About the trail
Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain in the North Island, is an active volcano at the heart of Tongariro National Park. The Round the Mountain Track makes a complete circuit of it, starting and finishing at Whakapapa Village, through landscapes shaped by eruptions and by the lahars that pour down its valleys.
On the eastern side it crosses the Rangipo Desert, the only true desert landscape in the North Island, with wind-sculpted sand and volcanic rock, while other stretches cross alpine tussock and lahar paths such as the Whangaehu and Whakapapaiti valleys, where walkers are told not to linger. Huts include Waihohonu, Rangipo, Mangaehuehu, Mangaturuturu and Whakapapaiti.
The Department of Conservation gives 66.2 km and four to six days, and says the main hazards are generally manageable from October to April. It warns that eruptions can happen without warning, that several streams are unbridged, and that winter brings snow, ice and avalanche risk calling for alpine skills.