Routes — Day 1 climbing Ngauruhoe

At the top of the Devil's Staircase is a signposted side trip climb to the top of the big volcano, 2287m.

Few hikers climb Ngauruhoe. It is steep, the footing terrible & the scramble near impossible in high wind.

If the weather is good, if you are a strong, confident hiker, climbing Ngauruhoe could be the highlight of your trip.

In fact, we recommend you plan your Tongoriro Crossing or Tongoriro Circuit in order to give yourself a chance to scramble Ngauruhoe.

Of course if you are doing the Crossing and need to catch a bus, you must hurry. You need to start down from the summit by about 12:30 pm. Best would be to arrange an early start and/or a late pick-up.

Otherwise, admire the view from the base of the volcano, then march on. You could climb easier Tongariro instead, if you like.

Ngauruhoe summit

A strong hiker can make it up and down in the 3 hours the signage suggests. It is only a 600m climb but seems higher.

If you do get good weather, plan to stay longer at the summit. It is amazing. The views terrific. Bring your camera.

warm yourself at a steam vent

From Ngauruhoe you can see the entire Tongariro Circuit route.

Tama Lakes

There are 2 crater rims, an outer and an inner. You should walk the outer rim first, descend, then climb back up to the inner rim to see down into the main crater.

inner crater

Ngauruhoe was the mountain stand-in for Mount Doom in the film version of Lord of the Rings, by the way.

Some brave hikers save time by screeing the descent. Screeing is a combination of running, sliding & skiing the loose scoria. It is fast & fun — but totally dangerous. There are ankle twisting chunks of stone & bruising is almost certain.