Transport to Tongariro National Park
Tongariro is the most popular park in New Zealand, over a million visitors each year. One estimate puts the number of hikers at 250,000 / year visiting this World Heritage Area. That's a lot of boot prints!
It is convenient to get to the park, located in central North Island close to Taupo. There are many options from Auckland (139km) & Wellington (336km).
Transport to the Trailhead
It is a breeze & well worth the expense to take one of the half dozen available trail buses to & from the Track. No need to organize this in advance — you can even do it by phone late on the day before you want to hike.
An early bird service is offered; arriving perhaps an hour earlier than the mob. You pay a hefty surcharge. Multi-day hikers need not bother — they are in no rush.
The Circuit is weather dependent so it is nice to be able to wait until the last moment to book your ride.
Trail bus options (with up-do-date costs) include:
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