Run by the Department of Conservation and only 5 minutes’ walk from Chateau Tongariro, Whakapapa Visitor Centre is a great resource to help you make the most of your visit to Tongariro National Park.
Helpful staff can provide information on hiking tracks, current conditions and weather forecasts, as well as ski field and avalanche reports. You can view exhibits on Maori mythology and the local flora and fauna, and discover the history and significance of the park, beginning with the original gift of land in 1887 by Te Heu Heu Tukino.
Audio-visual displays and a 3D model trace the story of the Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro volcanoes, and there’s even a shop where you can pick up souvenirs.
