Central North Island, Part 1 - Taumarunui, Tongariro National Park, Ohakune, Mt Ruapehu & Whakapapa,

In this video we visit the heritage Springvale wooden suspension bridge before moving on to Taumarunui and heading towards the Tongariro National Park and Whakapapa. We join the driver in the cab of the Northern Explorer train to cross a series of lofty viaducts over the Rangitikei River and its tributaries, taking a break at Mangaweka to visit the Rangitikei River. Returning to the train to continue our cab ride as far as Taihape where we leave the train to follow the North Island Main Trunk Railway line by road, stopping off at lineside locations including Tangiwai to see the river bridge and the memorial marking the site of New Zealand’s worst rail disaster, followed by a look around Ohakune and Mount Ruapehu, including the towering Hapuawhenua Viaducts. We continue by road under the lofty Makatote Viaduct, the skyline is dominated by two of the three active volcanoes located in the Tongariro National Park, Mount Ruapehu to our right hand side and Mount Ngauruhoe in front. We take a short detour to visit National Park and the Raurimu Railway Spiral built to enable the line to gain height at a gradient that allowed heavy trains to work over the line without having to resort to rack and pinion working. Our route takes us back to National Park to join State Highways 47 and 48 to Whakapapa Village in the heart of the Tongariro National Park, as we climb ever higher above the tree line towards the ski runs the scenery takes on an eerie volcanic appearance. The hill sides are criss-crossed by hiking trails offering magnificent views over the park’s three volcanoes and breath taking water falls. As we return to our camper-van we can see smoke rising from the side of Mount Tongariro reminding us that these are active volcanoes. Heading back down from the ski slopes we get a clearer view on the Te Maari Crater billowing out smoke from a number of vents in the hillside.

Filmed between 2005 and 2019