Tongariro National Park on New Zealand’s North Island is a must-go destination on a road trip around New Zealand. A hiker’s and skier’s dreamworld, Tongariro boasts something for all outdoor enthusiasts: unbeatable scenery, great skiing on volcanic Mount Ruapehu, one of the best hikes in the world, as well as filming locations from the Lord of the Rings movies, such as volcanic Mount Ngauruhoe, ominously standing in for Mount Doom.

Tongariro National Park is New Zealand's oldest national park and the fourth oldest national park in the world. Set aside in 1887, the sacred land was gifted by the Maori to the government of New Zealand for stewardship, and established as a park in 1894. Tongariro National Park was the first location in the world to receive dual UNESCO World Heritage Site status, recognizing both its natural grandeur, as well as its sacred and cultural importance to the Maori.

Perhaps the star attraction of the park is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This one-day hike is ranked as one of the ten best hikes in the world, and certainly one of the best in New Zealand. The 20.2 km day hike, with an elevation change of about 1196 metres, traverses the volcanic landscape of the park, taking 6–8 hours to complete. A shuttle can be arranged to return to the starting point, as camping is prohibited on the Crossing. Weather conditions can turn on a dime, and parts of the hike are challenging, so hiking experience, pre-planning, and seriously weatherproof clothing are essential.

As the hike wends its way past thermal vents, waterfalls, emerald lakes and fantastically-coloured rock faces, perhaps the most striking feature of the hike is the peculiar rust-coloured, Moon-like tephra landscape. Tephra is the pyroclastic detritus (ash, dust, rock) disgorged in the volcanic blasts from the stratovolcanoes which make up the Tongariro Volcanic Complex. The eerie, apparently barren landscape is in fact in a state of flux: the rusty mosses covering the volcanic rock act as pioneering growth, assisting in soil formation and stabilizing the ground in preparation for new plant-life to take hold. This landscape is a testament to Mother Nature’s tenacity and her ability to reassert herself after the Earth’s most destructive forces wipe out life.

Along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing you will see the aptly-named Red Crater, the Blue Lake, and the Emerald Lakes, their names reflecting the range of vivid colours produced by volcanic activity. Other notable attractions within the park are the Soda Springs and Taranaki waterfalls. Tawhai Falls or Gollum's Pool was featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as the place where Faramir and Frodo captured Gollum as he prowled about hunting for fish. Taranaki Falls is found on a beautiful hike on the Te Araroa Trail through shrubland and tussocks resembling high Arctic or sub-alpine tundra.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is best accessed from Whakapapa Village, located just off State Highway 48 in the North Island’s Whakapapanui Region.