In 1887, Te Heuheu Tukino IV, then the paramount chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa, gifted the sacred peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and part of Ruapehu, North Island, to the English people of New Zealand. This decision kept the land from being divided up and preserved the mana (prestige) of the Tuwharetoa people.
The original deed of gift created an area of 8,000 acres consisting of three small circles around the main peaks. Over the years that followed, large-scale purchases of land were made by the Crown, so that when the Tongariro National Park Act was passed in 1894 the area was approximately 65,000 acres. This Park was the fourth in the world to be established.
Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe are two of the most active composite volcanoes in the world. In 1995 and again in 1996 Ruapehu erupted in spectacular fashion, sending clouds of ash and steam skyward and mantling the surrounding snow fields and forest with a thick film of ash.
Mt Ngauruhoe serves as Mt Doom in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings.” The Mordor scenes were filmed on the flanks of Mt Ruapehu, and the scenes of Gollum fishing were filmed at several nearby streams and waterfalls.
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| Château Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe |
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| Tongariro National Park, Mt Ruapehu |
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| Tongariro National Park, Mt Doom, Mt Ngauruhoe |
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| Tongariro National Park, Ruapehu |
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| Tongariro National Park, Mt Ruapehu |
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| Tongariro National Park, Taranaki Falls |
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| Tongariro National Park, |