Tongariro History

In order to explore the mountains the white immigrants gave Te Heuheu IV (Horonuku), Chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa on 23 September 1887 the core of today’s national park consisting of the peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu to the parts of the British Crown under the condition there to create a protection zone. When, in October 1894, the Tongariro National Park Act (Tongariro National Park Act) by the New Zealand Parliament was adopted, the park was approximately 252.13 square kilometers. As the 1922 Act was renewed, an additional 586.80 square kilometers more than doubled its size.

Various extensions, especially the inclusion of outside the park lying areas in 1975, have the park to its present size of 795.98 square kilometers.

The first activities in the newly created Tongariro National Park consisted of the construction of some lodges for tourists at the beginning of the 20th Century. Only with the opening of the railway in 1910 and the construction of roads in the 1930s, was the area accesable to everyone. It took until 1931 before the first permanently live in the park wardens began their work. It was in the 1920s, the street in Whakapapatal expanded and in 1929 as the famous Chateau Tongariro Hotel was built that is now the center of Whakapapa. Also at this time, in 1923, was the first ski hut at an altitude of 1770 meters built, later followed by a street and in 1938 the first ski lift in this area.

Beginning of the 20th Century the Park administration introduced heather, but the rampant heather now poses a threat to the ecosystem and natural plants of the park. Efforts are now underway to prevent the further spread of this plant, as a complete eradication is not possible.

In January 1991, UNESCO honoured the Tongariro National Park as a World Natural Heritage site. Two years later as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tongariro Geology

The three volcanic mountains Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu are the southern end of a 2500 kilometers long chain of volcanoes caused by the meeting of the Pacific with the Indian-Australian plate may have caused. All three volcanoes are still active.