We left Taupo and drove around the lake to Tongariro National Park. It is New Zealand's oldest national park and was given by the Maori chief Te Heuheu Tukino to the New Zealand people on the condition that it be made a national park in 1867. A lot of the filming for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed in this national park. The park is dominated by three large volcanoes: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. We got off the bus at Whakapapa and did a walk to the Taranaki Falls which was a 2 hour loop walk. The weather wasn't the best so we couldn't see the top of the volcanoes as we were in the clouds. It was a really nice walk though and the scenery and waterfall were beautiful. As it rained we didn't stop for a picnic on the walk so back on the bus everyone got their picnic food out and munched while we made our way to River Valley.