Tongariro · The Mountain Does Not Belong to People

Tongariro National Park holds three volcanoes — Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu. Māori did not go up the mountains, because they are the place of gods and ancestors: the land was given, not taken.

In 1887 the local chief gave the three mountains to the British Crown on condition that they be protected; this became the beginning of the national park, and the start of decades of dispute between Māori and the government.

The hiking track is well known, and the weather turns fast. The sign says this: in the mountains the weather is decided by the mountain.

Folklore / Waikato · New Zealand / Time immemorial