Department of Conservation - Tongariro

06/09/2026

Do you take your dog(s) out in the bush? Avian avoidance training for dogs helps protect our native birds ⬇
Subsidised avian avoidance training 19 September in Owhango, $15 per dog. Spaces limited so book in quick!

Kiwi Avoidance Training in OWHANGO
Joe has a KAT Day scheduled for the 19 Sept 2026, if anyone’s interested.
💰Price: $15 Per Dog - Partially subsidised by DOC (Originally $30)
🐶 On the day, please ensure all dogs are kept on leads.
📌 19 Sept at Owhango Domain
📍Location: Owhango Domain
To make a booking, visit:
https://kiwitraining.dog/
Be sure to follow our page for future training days!
⚠️Note: Time slot bookings are automated on a first-come, first-served basis and can no longer be selected manually

21/08/2026

Please, don’t wreck the Tukino Access Road by ripping it up with vehicles.

Please Respect the Tukino Access Road

The Tukino 4WD Access Road exists primarily to provide access for skiers, club members, volunteers, and emergency services traveling to and from the Tukino Ski Area facilities.

We love sharing Tukino's unique alpine environment and natural beauty with everyone who visits. Unfortunately, the access road has come under increasing pressure in recent years from recreational 4WD use. While the vast majority of visitors treat the road with respect, a small number of drivers do not, creating significant challenges for our facilities, volunteers, and road maintenance efforts.

Every marker post along the road from State Highway 1 has been installed by volunteers, by hand. The section of road beyond the transmission tower is maintained entirely by Tukino volunteers and funded through the Tukino budget, which is increasingly stretched due to declining ski ticket revenue resulting from inconsistent snow seasons.

The Tukino Access Road is our lifeline. When the road is damaged or becomes difficult to navigate our visitors, volunteers, and emergency services may be unable to safely reach the ski area and village. Following the weekend of 9 August, one of our volunteer ski patrollers became stuck while leaving the mountain because the road had been heavily rutted by aggressive 4WD driving.

We ask everyone using the road to please respect our access road, drive responsibly, and help preserve this vital route for all users.

If you would like to support the ongoing maintenance of the road, please consider making a donation; https://donate.stripe.com/4gw9ABeXieXpggg8ww; Every contribution helps us keep the road safe and accessible for the entire Tukino community.

Please respect our road.

19/08/2026

Getting warmer in the search for whio 🦆

🌡️Could thermal drones help us find more whio?

DOC rangers are trialling thermal technology to spot these threatened native ducks on fast-flowing rivers. Helping us count and monitor them without disturbing them.

Watch the footage and find out how this technology could help protect whio across Aotearoa.

🔗 Read the full media release here: https://bit.ly/3SJpzK7

📹: Interpine
📷: DOC

17/08/2026

Our neighbours in Tūrangi sent us this update - progress is coming along nicely for the new suspension bridge over the Tongariro River!

The Tongariro River Trail and existing bridges remain open, but please follow signage and instructions of workers on site.

12/08/2026

Do you want to help preserve a piece of history? We're seeking dead kaikawaka trees!🪾

Built in 1930, Kaikawaka Villa is a rare and special example of a hand-split slab hut. For nearly a century it has stood as part of our pioneering heritage, but time and weather are beginning to take their toll.

Some of the slabs are now deteriorating and need to be replaced. To restore the hut as authentically as possible, we are looking for kaikawaka logs that can be split using traditional methods, just as they were when the villa was first built.

What we're looking for:
• Dead standing or windfallen kaikawaka trees on private land
• Logs at least 50 cm in diameter
• Timber that is still in reasonable condition
• Local to the Central Plateau area
• Trees that are relatively accessible by vehicle so the timber can be removed

Kaikawaka are generally easy to identify by their distinctive papery bark and, often (though not always), a characteristic twist in the trunk.

If you think you might have the right tree tucked away in your back paddock, we'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch and send through a few photos by contacting [email protected]

Your help could play an important part in preserving this unique historic hut for future generations. 🛖

📷 DOC

27/07/2026

There's a new feel at Whakapapa Holiday Park lodge following a major refresh, and it's signalling a new era of investment into Whakapapa Village and Tongariro National Park.

The holiday park is owned by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and operates under management agreement with Te Hokinga Limited.

DOC Tongariro Operations Manager Libby O’Brien says Tongariro National Park is special and warrants continued investment.

“We want every visitor to have a positive and memorable experience, wherever they go in the park," says Libby. “This facelift for the lodge helps us continue to work towards that goal.”

Images: Citycare Property & DOC

25/07/2026

Well, it was a shaky start to the day this morning where we were all woken by the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled the central North Island. But what was more of a welcome surprise was a fairly decent dumping of snow all the way down to below Whakapapa Village. Our team of rangers were out and about this morning helping visitors to enjoy some snow play, and to help get a few stuck cars on their way. Check out these snaps from the team!

If you’re wanting to head up to Whakapapa, Mt Ruapehu or Turoa ski areas this weekend, keep an eye on each ski field’s website, and if you’re not familiar with alpine driving in winter conditions, we recommend catching a shuttle from the National Park/Waimarino Park and Ride to keep your winter visit to Tongariro National Park as safe as possible.

13/07/2026

Get your naturing on at Whakapapa this final week of the school holidays - we've got plenty of free fun to keep the tamariki and whānau entertained!

Monday 2pm-3pm - Build your own nature journal
Create a recycled journal to use on outdoor adventures.

Tuesday 10am-12pm - Meet the Whakapapa Rural Fire Brigade
Join us at the Whakapapa Fire Station for some fun!

Wednesday 11am-12pm - Fungi Find
Join rangers Lois and Lily looking for fungi and cool plants along the Whakapapanui track

Thursday 10am-11am - Plant Scavenger Hunt
Come join a short walk in Whakapapa village and partake in a fun plant ID scavenger hunt

Friday 12pm-4:30pm - Move with the Patupaiarehe
With our friends from Ngā Kāhui Mounga and Xabilities - join storytime and a nature walk and connect with the maramataka.
RSPV required at XABILITIES.info

Daily activities include colouring in, puzzles, making night sky star wheels, reading & an indoor scavenger hunt

Free Entry | All Ages Welcome | Parental supervision required

08/07/2026

Following the fires late last year, we worked alongside Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro to develop Maunga Ora, a joint kaupapa to help Tongariro National Park recover. Together, we’ve been working hard to give this slow-growing alpine ecosystem its best chance to recover. Here’s a small sample of what we have been up to so far:

🪏 Large-scale control of weeds such as broom and heather from the air and the ground
🧬 eDNA testing that lets us know from water tests what types of pest plants and animals are present in the burn area
🕹️ 🚁 Drone monitoring and mapping so we can get eyes on what plants are growing and where the deer are
🦌 Ungulates such as deer love to munch on new plant growth, so we’re controlling their numbers so the plants have a chance to grow back
🐇 Reinstating a hare exclusion plot to let us see how much damage hares are doing to the landscape, which we’ll monitor over time

📷 DOC

02/07/2026

Visiting Tongariro these school holidays?

The visitor centre has put together a range of fun, nature-based activities for tamariki and their whānau to explore, learn, and connect with the environment. Check out the plan for week one below!

Mon 6th July 2pm - 4pm
Nature Documentary & Craft afternoon - watch Endangered Species Aotearoa and enjoy some craft activities

Tue 7th July 10am -11am
Plant Scavenger Hunt - join a short walk in Whakapapa Village and partake in a fun plant ID scavenger hunt

Wed 8th July 11am -12pm
All About Volcanoes - prepare to get messy in a short introduction to volcanoes

Thu 9th July 2pm - 3pm
Plant Scavenger Hunt - join a short walk in Whakapapa Village and partake in a fun plant ID scavenger hunt

Fri 10th July 10am -11am
Build a Nature Journal - create a recycled journal to use on outdoor adventures

Daily activities include colouring in, puzzles, making night sky star wheels, reading & an indoor scavenger hunt

Free Entry | All Ages Welcome | Parental supervision required