Walking time as doc.govt.nz states it for this stage; measured on the mapped line: 4 h 09. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights. doc.govt.nz
15kmStage distance
352mAscent, measured
5 hOfficial time
4Stage number
Not confirmed open on set dates: From May to late October (DOC's winter season) the circuit can be cold and icy, with snow and short days: DOC says to walk it then only with alpine skills, equipment and experience. Source, read 27 September 2026
Past the Tama Lakes junction (Lower Tama 20 minutes, Upper Tama 1.5 hours return) to Whakapapa Village. Two tracks lead back to the village, both about an hour, DOC says; the line here takes the lower one, by Taranaki Falls.
Best season: 23 October to 30 April (the Great Walks season). The Department of Conservation's 2026/27 Great Walks season runs from 23 October 2026 to 30 April 2027, with wardens and gas in the huts. Oturere Hut is closed while it is rebuilt until 18 December 2026: before then the walk from Mangatepopo to Waihohonu is 20 km in a day over hard ground. From May to late October (DOC's winter season) the circuit is alpine terrain under snow and ice, with avalanche risk on Red Crater greatest from July to October: DOC says to walk it then only with alpine skills, equipment and experience. Before you go
Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa Village
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Green: Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa Village. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Facts read from the operators' own pages and OpenStreetMap on 27 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with the hut before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Waihohonu Hut
Staffed mountain hut · 1,150 m · Department of Conservation
Season
2026/27 23 October 2026 to 30 April 2027 The 2026/27 Great Walks season, with a warden and gas cooking: book online or at the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre, same-day online until 8 p.m.Outside the season: From 1 May to 22 October there is no warden or gas, the hut still needs a booking, at $25 adult (DOC's track and hut pages), and the track is an alpine route: DOC says to walk it then only with alpine skills, equipment and experience.doc.govt.nz, read 27 September 2026
Places
28 places in total · Self-catering 28 bunks. In the Great Walks season a warden, gas cookers, heating and solar lighting; non-flush toilets; boil the tap water. A wood burner, with firewood flown in.
Booking
Book onlineBook all year (DOC's track and hut pages). Great Walks season: adult NZ$66 (international), NZ$44 (NZ resident), child $33 / $22; 1 May to 22 October $25 adult. A campsite beside the hut, booked too.
The finish: the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre (+64 7 892 3729), which hires out distress beacons. Buses and trains stop at National Park Village, 15 km away.
The huts are booked all year, online (same day until 8 p.m.) or at the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre; no space is held for walk-ins. DOC's track page says campsites are booked all year too, its campsite pages say first come, first served outside the season: book to be sure. Camp only at the hut campsites, never within 500 m of the track; the planner's nights are the huts.
Mangatepopo car park to Whakapapa Village
Four days, a night at each hut: the 2026/27 route.
Loading the forecast for low point (1,102 m) and high point (1,345 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (1,102 m) and the highest point (1,345 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Good
Good
Good
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Good
High point, day / night
19°/6°
19°/6°
17°/4°
13°/2°
9°/0°
6°/-2°
5°/-3°
6°/-2°
9°/-1°
12°/1°
15°/2°
17°/5°
Low point, day / night
21°/7°
21°/7°
19°/5°
14°/3°
10°/1°
8°/-1°
7°/-1°
8°/-1°
11°/0°
14°/2°
17°/3°
19°/6°
Rain, mm
166
127
174
148
151
184
212
197
220
184
203
196
Snow at high point
–
–
–
Frost
Possible
Possible
Possible
Possible
Possible
Possible
Frost
–
Daylight
14 h 38
13 h 36
12 h 25
11 h 06
10 h 01
9 h 26
9 h 38
10 h 33
11 h 47
13 h 03
14 h 15
14 h 54
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Tongariro Northern Circuit
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Volcanic risk
Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu are active volcanoes. On 27 September 2026 GeoNet's alert levels were 0 for Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe and 1 for Ruapehu; if the level rises at Tongariro or Ngāuruhoe, DOC closes tracks near the craters. The hazard zone is 3 km around Te Maari, Red Crater and Ngāuruhoe.
Each hut night in the Great Walks season costs an international adult NZ$66 and a New Zealand resident NZ$44 (children $33 / $22); a campsite night $28 / $19. From 1 May to 22 October the huts cost $25 an adult.
Carry a distress beacon: the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre at Whakapapa hires them out (+64 7 892 3729, 8.30 to 4). For search and rescue call 111.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Whakapapa and National Park Village
Buses and trains stop at National Park Village, 15 km from Whakapapa. Park at Whakapapa Village with a free overnight permit from the visitor centre and take a shuttle to the Mangatepopo car park: parking there is limited to 4 hours in the season.
Prepare every day while you have a connection: phone reception is fairly good but has gaps, and there is little or none at Waihohonu Hut.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Open this trail in the app.Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
For the 2026/27 season the Department of Conservation starts the circuit at the Mangatepopo car park and ends it at Whakapapa Village: the Whakapapa to Mangatepopo section is closed after the 2025 fire damaged its structures, so it is not a loop this season. DOC gives 35.5 km, plus 1.7 km from the car park to Mangatepopo Hut. The line here joins the Tongariro Alpine Crossing's and the circuit's relations on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026), 36.9 km, with the closed section left out; the times are DOC's.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 27 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.