In Tongariro National Park the air and soil temperatures changes dramatically with the seasons, the result is a wide variety of habitats, anything that lives here must be hardy and well adapted to life in this extreme environment. The plants need to also deal with the volcanic activity, with ash, pumice, lava and fire, that can destroy entire landscapes.  If this happens it can take a very long time for plants to re-establish themselves especially if the soils have been covered over by lava.

Beech forest were once covered on the northern slopes of Tongariro, but after eruptions and fires, red tussocks and small shrubs are on the upper slopes and the low level forest is Totara.  In summer in the damper areas on the northern slopes of the mountain above Ketetahi you can find buttercups and the large mountain daisy.

Pipits nest in the tussocks and are often seen looking for the cicadas and grasshoppers.  In the forest on the Northern Slopes you may see the north island robin.

It is important to keep to the marked track as things take a long time to grow here and the soils are fragile, the balance of life is easily disturbed. 

Books & Maps of interest on Tongariro