Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park located in the central North Island of New Zealand. Actually, I knew the park at the first time because it is one of the several locations (Mount Tongariro) where Peter Jackson shot the film series “The Lord of the Rings”! Because of the spectacular landscapes, diverse range of ecosystems as well as the great significance of the active and extinct volcanoes to the local Māori, Tongariro National Park has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 29 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. This postcard shows the three active volcanoes in the park that dominate the landscape of the central North Island. Among them, Mount Tongariro (in the foreground) is the most ancient one while Mount Ngauruhoe (centre) is the youngest. Particularly, Mount Ngauruhoe is about 5000 years old and still retains its distinct cone shape. Mount Ruapehu is the southern most of the three, at 2797m it is also the highest mountains in the North Island. Many thanks to kind friend Aaron, for this awesome card and the lovely bee stamp!