Tongariro National Park one of the worlds top ten parks

Tongariro National Park has been listed as one of the best parks in the world according to Lonely Planet. The list also includes such places as the Grand Canyon in the United States and Iguazu Falls in South America. In the list of ten parks, Tongariro came 9^th, just ahead of the Galapagos Islands.

Tongariro is the oldest national park in New Zealand and the Lonely Planet describes it as, “A fascinating place filled with geological interest”. It was used as the setting for the Lord of the Rings movies which have made images of the parks volcanoes iconic for fans of the films. It is easy to see why Peter Jackson chose this as the location for his films. The Lonely Planet says the highlight of the park is the Craters of the Moon, which it describes as, “A stunning sight with smoke coming from craters and mud flows running on its slopes.”

The World’s Best Parks and Preserves

1. Namib Naukluft National Park, Namibia

2. Banff National Park, Canada

3. Mungo National Park, Australia

4. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

5. Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

6. Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland

7. Iguazu Falls National Park, Argentina/Brazil

8. Saba Marine National Park, Netherlands Antilles

9. Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

10. Galapagos National Park, Galapagos Islands