{"id":124518,"date":"2025-11-08T11:11:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T11:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/124518\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T11:11:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T11:11:14","slug":"43-hikers-evacuated-as-300ha-blaze-tears-through-tongariro-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/124518\/","title":{"rendered":"43 hikers evacuated as 300ha blaze tears through Tongariro National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forty-three hikers have been evacuated as firefighters battle a blaze covering around 300 hectares of Tongariro National Park this evening.<\/p>\n

Thirteen crews of firefighters from eight brigades are fighting the fire with support from three helicopters with monsoon buckets.<\/p>\n

The fire was reported on SH47 just north of the junction with SH48 at 3.15pm.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Department of Conservation (DOC)’s central North Island operations director Damian Coutts told 1News 43 hikers and the hut warden were “evacuated by helicopter from Mangatepopo Hut” as a precaution. <\/p>\n

“DOC staff are providing welfare at Whakapapa Village. We have not had any reports of anyone being injured.”<\/p>\n

Coutts said the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Northern Circuit “are closed and will be closed on Sunday”. <\/p>\n

“At this stage, the fire has not reached any tracks or huts.”<\/p>\n

\"Thirteen<\/p>\n

Thirteen crews of firefighters were fighting the blaze on November 8, 2025. (Source: Leigh Anne Whyte)<\/p>\n

Fire and Emergency NZ assistant commander Nick West said the fire was burning in the direction of Mount Ngauruhoe. <\/p>\n

“It is not under control,” West said in an update just before 8pm.<\/p>\n

“Trampers are being airlifted from the Maungatepopo Hut, on the Tongariro Crossing. A helicopter is continuing to check the area for any other walkers.”<\/p>\n

West said the cause of the blaze was unknown.<\/p>\n

State Highway 47 is closed between the intersections with SH48 and SH46 while emergency services work at the scene, police said.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

State Highway 47 was closed between SH48 and SH46. (Source: NZTA)<\/p>\n

“State Highway 47 is closed at the intersection of State Highway 46 at the northern end, and State Highway 48 at the southern end.<\/p>\n

“Motorists are advised to turn around or delay travel, as there are no alternative routes in the immediate area.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forty-three hikers have been evacuated as firefighters battle a blaze covering around 300 hectares of Tongariro National Park…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[31044,111,43,139,69,4143],"class_list":{"0":"post-124518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-manawatu-wanganui","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-wildfires"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}