As part of our New Zealand North Island adventures, we drove around the three volcanoes at Tongariro National Park, visited the Mt Ruapehu Whakapapa village, Lake Taupo and Huka Falls before ending the day at Rotorua.

 

Volcanic Loop of Tongariro National Park

The Tongariro National Park is a dual world heritage site that encircles the active volcanoes of Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe.  The Tongariro crossing was used in the Lord of the Rings movie.

We drove for about 2 hours along the volcanic loop of the Tongariro National Park and saw the three active volcanoes.

Mt Ruapehu Whakapapa village

We went up to the Whakapapa village at Mt Ruapehu.  As it was coming to summer, there was not much snow there.

Lake Taupo

Our next stop was Lake Taupo which is the largest freshwater lake in all of Australasia.

 

Huka Falls

Huka Falls is one of the largest falls on the Waikato river near Taupo.  “Huka” is a Maori word for foam.  About 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge every second.

 

We walked further upstream along the Waikato river.  This river is one of New Zealand’s longest rivers and it drains Lake Taupo.

Rotorua

After Huka falls, we checked in to Brylin Motel in Rotorua where we stayed for 3 nights.  Click here for a list of accommodations in Rotorua.

 

A stunning sunset in Rotorua was a great way to end the day.

 

NEXT DAY:   Rotorua adventures – we watched a geyser erupt, visit a thermal wonderland and learned about the Maori culture.

 

This trip was part of our 10-day New Zealand North Island road trip which included a farm stay, magical Waitomo glowworm cave, Rotorua animal and zorbing adventures, Auckland sky tower and Auckland city of sails.