Waikato Mount Tongariro via Hardman’s Ridge

A fairly strenuous walk of 6-7 hours covering about 16km, with another 3-4km added for altitude gain and loss, in some of the wildest terrain in the Tongariro National Park. Starts on the tourist track from Mangatepopo car park towards the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and branches off left (N) over the Mangatepopo Stream after about 40 minutes to gain Hardman’s Ridge. Three hours uphill grunt gets to the top of Mount Tongariro whilst offering splendid views of Tongariro and the New Alpine Crossing track. South Crater is then circled clockwise to meet the “crossing” track just below Red Crater from where it is 2:30 minutes back to Mangatepopo car park.

Last Updated December 2009

Start Point: Easting 1823015 Northing 5664074