© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 
© Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Tongariro Northern Circuit
Intermediate 43 kmloop 3–4 days ↑ 1517 m
Lava landscape · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Oturere Valley
1,360 m VolcanicAlpine
A valley of twisted lava pinnacles and a sheltered hut on the Northern Circuit.
East of the Emerald Lakes the Northern Circuit drops into the Oturere Valley, a field of jagged lava formations and then open gravel plains with Oturere Hut at the forest edge and a small waterfall nearby. Some of the strangest terrain in the park.
Oturere Valley © Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
© Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
© Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 Tracks that reach Oturere Valley
© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 © Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 More photos
© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 Also nearby
Mangatepōpō Valley © Geoff McKay · CC BY 2.0 
© Porcinno Rondus · CC BY 3.0 
© Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lava landscape· 1,200 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Mangatepōpō Valley
A glacial valley floored with young lava flows beneath the cone of Ngāuruhoe.
Springs· 1,400 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
Soda Springs
A cold spring seeping from the base of a lava flow, surrounded by alpine wildflowers in summer.
Crater· 1,660 m · Tongariro & Mangatepōpō
South Crater
A flat, silent moonscape between Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro.