The Emerald Lakes

Tongariro, Wellington and crossing the Cook Strait

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January 5th 2010
After leaving Rotorua once Christmas was over, my next stop was the little town of Turangi which is situated right on the edge of the Tongariro national park. Now, I'm not really that into hiking but there is a famous 1 day trek which is known as the Tongariro Crossing and it looked pretty cool so I thought I'd give it a try. The trek is about 19.5kms and usually takes most of the day, but there's ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more