Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre (Whakapapa Visitor Centre)
Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre (Whakapapa Visitor Centre)
Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre (Whakapapa Visitor Centre)
4.5
About
Located in the heart of the Tongariro National Park, Whakapapa i-SITE (Tongariro Visitor Centre) provide expert local knowledge and free, objective advice on travel throughout the Ruapehu Region and New Zealand. We provide booking services for accommodation, activities, transport and more.
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4.5
500 reviews
Excellent
329
Very good
145
Average
19
Poor
3
Terrible
4
Ange717
York, UK231 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
Changed since I was here last. Smaller gift shop and fairly snooty staff. Made a poor trekker look stupid for asking questions about the crossing, when it is their job to advise. Seem to only have time for experienced hikers not everyday ramblers who just want to walk to the waterfalls in the area. Films and displays are really interesting, there is a lot to read and especially about the wildlife and management of it, which I didn't know. Shame the Chateau is closed due to the lease being up and needing expensive earthquake proofing. Again the staff couldn't have cared less when I mentioned it to them and yet it is a beautiful historic building which must have brought so many visitors to the area before it closed 2 years ago. We have stayed there, it was fantastic, very Agatha Christie. Did not feel welcoming at all, which is a shame as there is very little else in the area except walking and beautiful views. Love the mountains.
Written 17 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janice M
Anchorage, Alaska, United States33 contributions
Feb 2021
Tons of good info. Short movies, helpful staff. T-shirts, jackets etc for the mountain weather. History on eruptions was interesting. When we left, we could see how far away the lava flows went
Written 3 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
annief65
New York City, NY24 contributions
May 2021
This walk is hard and requires a lot of fitness! The conditions are variable so you need to prepare for all conditions. You will need decent boots, jacket, gloves, beanie, neck warmer, poles a great addition.
You are tramping in an alpine area so be prepared. It can turn very narley quickly. But it is a great walk . About 25 kms so it is quite an undertaking but worth it.
You are tramping in an alpine area so be prepared. It can turn very narley quickly. But it is a great walk . About 25 kms so it is quite an undertaking but worth it.
Written 8 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BigBrian_11
Tring, UK440 contributions
Feb 2020
Travelling through the National Park our coach party stopped to survey the scenes. However, as I described in my title, it was all too vast to get close up to anything. We saw each of the three famous mountains : Tongariro; Ngauruhoe; Ruapehu. Each a spectacle in it's own right. Then our driver told us to move on........................
Written 19 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camper17009204888
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Business
Rude staff. Travelling with small group of senior college students. Treated them like criminals from the get go. Yelled at them to get out of shop area. No obvious signage telling them to be accompanied by a teacher in their area. Also there is a nice way of saying things rather than yelling at the kids for the whole centre to hear. Don’t recommend this place for school groups. Not the first time staff have been rude and unwelcoming toward students.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelwhere
Modesto, CA2,519 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
I went in looking for a couple of short hikes I could do while there. The nice young man helped me identify a couple. He told me that one was in a scene in Lord of the Rings. He gave good details about how to get there, too.
Written 14 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nyco75017
Paris, France14 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Best hike I ever did.
One advice: once you are at Emeral Lakes go back. The rest is only pain and nothing to see except 11kms to walk.
Of you go back on your foots you can park tour car and avoid the transfer by bus
One advice: once you are at Emeral Lakes go back. The rest is only pain and nothing to see except 11kms to walk.
Of you go back on your foots you can park tour car and avoid the transfer by bus
Written 10 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda G
Waikato Region, New Zealand69 contributions
Apr 2021
We had visited here years ago & it is really worth a stop. So much information on the mountains, volcano & treks and Tongariro crossing. There is also a display of ski apparel through the decades. I really enjoyed that. Friendly staff.
Written 7 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deborah L
Melbourne12 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
A must visit place to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience in the national park. The displays about Maori culture and the environment surrounding are crucial. Staff are generous with their time answering questions.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janeen1965
Napier, New Zealand63 contributions
Jan 2021 • Couples
We popped into the visitor centre to check out what walks were close by.
The lady who helped us was fantastic and her local knowledge was extremely helpful for when we return to complete the Tongariro Crossing.
We could have stayed for hours as it is so interesting in there.
The lady who helped us was fantastic and her local knowledge was extremely helpful for when we return to complete the Tongariro Crossing.
We could have stayed for hours as it is so interesting in there.
Written 12 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi all, I'm looking at a few short walks that starts off from Whakapapa Village Visitor Centre. But I'm also travelling in a campervan. Is there large vehicle parking available here?
Written 28 August 2018
yes there is plenty of parking space, that goes for practically all sights in New Zealand
Written 28 August 2018
Hi, sandraschneider2018. What would you like to know about this attraction?Hallo THIS Reviev ist von KATHARINA AT MY BIRTHDAY 31.1 you helped me .THank you!Done the best of my TOUR!
Written 1 February 2018
Hi, we're planning to visit Tongariro Nat. park in August. We were wondering if in winter the driving routes are open and if so, what are the driving conditions. We want to see the views of the park but we are not ready to do the alpine crossing (specially in winter). Thanks in advanced.
Written 24 June 2017
Yes the Togariro National Park will have snow on the top of the mountains, but you should be able drive around on the the National Highway. There are some smaller walks in the park that will not be covered in Snow. Snow is normally on the top of Tongariro Alpine Crossing at this time of year.
Written 25 June 2017
Linda R
Melbourne, Australia
I am planning to visit in March next year, so I am curious to know what other walks you would recommend for 3 or 4 days in the area. Hoping to book in to do the circuit and another walk, just not sure which one! In May I completed the Routeburn and am eager to do more!
Written 12 June 2017
The Taranaki Falls walk is a really nice half day or so walk that we never tire of
We also like the loop from the visitors centre to the Whakapapaiti Hut it can be done i a day or as an overnight - ideally get a lift up the mountain to the start of the track as the Walk along the road is not very exciting
A great three or four day walk would be the southern circuit - check the website to find out how much time they recommend
The southern end of the mountain gets less traffic and is still very pretty- more trees and less exposed "moon" landscape than the northern circuit
The details of all the walks in the park can be found at the website
Do be careful with the weather was we have had snow on the Tongariro Crossing at Christmas and the southern end of the mountain can get some very cold weather and strong winds
Written 25 June 2017
Hello. We are planning to drive from Wellington to Auckland in mid July, stopping over in Tongariro National Park for our last two nights in NZ. We have a an afternoon flight (4pm departure) to catch from Auckland on the last day. Can someone tell me what's the driving conditions like during that time of the year? I am a bit concern of snow and possible road closure, etc. Do we have sufficient time to drive from Tongariro to Auckland airport on our last day? Thanks heaps!
Written 14 January 2017
Driving conditions in July are excellent . Consider an average speed of 80km/h for your time schedule .
Have a nice one
Written 17 January 2017
I want to do the volcanic short walks at Mt Ruapehu. How far is that from your site? I assume you can take a chair lift to the start point? I plan to arrive Apr 2016. I assume you will still be able to hike at this time?
Written 28 January 2016
The sightseeing chairlift on Mount Ruapehu runs from the top of the Bruce Road on Whakapapa ski field (6km up the road from the Visitor Centre in Whakapapa Village) at 1100m to Knoll Ridge Café at 2000m. From the Café you can walk higher to 2300m on the Skyline trail and/or walk back down to the car park on the Waterfall trail. Each of these walks is about 90 minutes. The sightseeing chairlift will run until mid-April: it runs each day until then so long as the weather is OK.
Both the Skyline and Waterfall walks marked by 2m marker poles and are NOT performed paths like the ones in Whakapapa Village: boots would be the preferred footwear.
From the Knoll Ridge Café you can also walk to the Crater Rim however this is not a marked trail i.e. walkers need to be able to pick their own routes and, at the time of writing, conditions at the Rim are still quite wintery with snow and ice so walkers would need some experience in and equipment for these conditions. For the less experienced there are guided tours that depart daily when the conditions are suitable.
Written 6 February 2016
Hi
We would like to visit the Whakapapa Village in Jan 2016, for the various Whakapapa Village short walks such as the Taranaki Falls walk etc. We would be travelling from Taupo. There seems to be limited transport services available that can bring us to Whakapapa Village. Do you have any recommendations of transport services ?
Thanks much for your assistance.
Written 14 November 2015
If you travel from Taupo, visit the Taupo visitor centre and they will tell you where to get the shuttle service going to Whakapapa Village aside from the Naked bus transport. The shuttle service will go to Whakapapa Village from 8am or 9am to 4pm. And check the Naked bus transport on what time they will passed the Taupo visitor centre going to Whakapapa Village. Hope I were able to help. Cheers..
Written 16 November 2015
We are interested in the Tongariro Alpine Crossing Walk Feb 2016. We would be staying on the south side of Taupo for a week and wondered if it is feasible to drive Taupo to the Visitor Centre and then walk from there? Does it start from the Visitor Centre? And how would we then get back to the car?
Written 26 July 2015
There are buses that run daily (so long as the weather and ground conditions are OK) from Taupo to and from the Crossing. The Taupo I-Site would be able to provide information on these. In summer when the days are long it is quite feasible to drive from Taupo, do the Crossing, and drive back to Taupo but you would need to arrange shuttles from the start or finish point back to your vehicle. You would also need to be sure that you wouldn't be too tired from the walk to drive safely back to Taupo.
The Visitor Centre in Whakapapa Village, any of the local I-Sites and many of the accommodation places around the Central Plateau can provide details on the summer shuttle services.
Written 27 July 2015
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