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Ruapehu, in the central North Island, is the home of Tongariro National Park - New Zealand's first national park and a dual World Heritage area. The mountainous park with three active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro - offers year-round outdoor experiences in a unique natural environment. Tongariro was the first national park gifted to a country by an indigenous people. Today, the 80,000ha park is enjoyed and explored year-round by hikers, cyclists, skiers, botanists, geologists and nature lovers.
Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand's most famous volcano, has expansive ski areas including the world's only ski field within 500m of an active volcanic crater, it is the North Island's winter playground. Some scenes of the fictional Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Ring's movie trilogy were filmed on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu.

A Māori legend recounts the region's origins:
Ruapehu, the beautiful maid, was married to Taranaki. One day, while her husband was away hunting, she was wooed and won by Tongariro. When Taranaki returned at the end of the day he surprised the guilty pair. A titanic battle ensued in which Taranaki was defeated. He retreated towards the west coast, carving out the course of the Wanganui River as he went. When he reached the coast he moved northwards to the western extremity of the North Island, where he rested. There his great weight made the shallow depression which afterwards filled with water and became Te Ngaere swamp. Taranaki, or Egmont, as Cook named him, now sits in silence looking towards his wife and his rival. In spite of her infidelity, Ruapehu still loves her husband and sighs occasionally as she remembers him, while the mist, which drifts eastward from his head, is the visible sign of Taranaki's love for her. For his part, Tongariro, who despairs of ever possessing her again, smokes and smoulders with anger. To this day travellers in the Tongariro National Park see the basin called Rua Taranaki, "the Pit of Taranaki", which lies to the east of the Tama Saddle which was the original home of Taranaki.

Mount Taranaki

Mount Ruapehu - a closer look, the slopes of the crater are just visible behind the centre peak.

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