#5
Waterfall· 1,200 m · Whakapapa Village
Taranaki Falls
A 20 m waterfall plunging over the edge of a 15,000-year-old lava flow.
Historic · Whakapapa Village
Chateau Tongariro
1,120 m Historic
The grand 1929 hotel that defines Whakapapa Village, framed by Ruapehu.
Built in 1929 in Georgian style, the Chateau was the North Island’s first great mountain hotel. It closed in 2023 and its future is still being decided, but its lawn remains the classic photo spot for Ruapehu above the village. The DOC Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre is a two-minute walk away.
Chateau Tongariro © W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0 Tracks that reach Chateau Tongariro
Reached by road or by an unmarked route; see the description.
Also nearby
#4
Lake· 1,240 m · Whakapapa Village
Lower Tama Lake
A deep blue explosion crater lake on the saddle between Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe.
#1
Lake· 1,440 m · Whakapapa Village
Upper Tama Lake
The most dramatic viewpoint in the Whakapapa area: a crater lake directly below Ngāuruhoe.