Blasted by gas and lava, the plain between Nguarahoe, Red Crater and Mt. Tongariro is devoid of life.
I’ve read National Geographic since I was about 10 years old. I always got excited when I saw some cool place I would want to go (these places often involved pyramids!).
This means I was extra-excited to see someplace I’d already been in the July 2009 issue. I headed straight to page 82 for “Between Fire & Ice” by Mel White. It was all about Tongariro National Park in New Zealand, one of my favorite places on the planet. I’d just been there in February 2009. And boy, was I disappointed in the story.
My only guess is that Mel White has never been there, and only interviewed a few hand-picked people. I’d also guess that the story had an agenda: To decry the effect of invasive species and the non-Maori people. I’ll address these two points separately.
First, the article conveys absolutely no sense of the park’s majesty. It’s a pretty flaccid description – no mention of steam oozing from the cracked floor of desert between Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro. No description of the Devil’s Staircase or the exhausting scree slope. What about the blasted, colorful mini-Mount St. Helens of Red Crater? And the striking lack of life? Near the volcanoes, you will see no form of life -flora or fauna- until you see a handful of birds at Blue Lake. That’s hours of hiking with no life but other hikers! It’s seriously lunar in its lava and gas-blasted devastation.
There’s also a pretty poor commitment to accuracy, as shown by this photo caption
“Visitors swim in the park’s mineral-tinted lakes, in spite of the water’s sulfurous scent.”
A few hearty shrubs are the first appearance of non-human life near Blue Lake.
That line really set me off. I didn’t see anyone in the lakes, and seemed to remember it being discouraged. So I asked the rangers at Whakapapa Village about this:
“The caption under the photo of the Emerald Lakes outlet does say people swim in the lakes,” the rangers replied. “However, the Department does not suggest or encourage this, due to the sacred nature of the lakes and the high mineral content of the water. Sometimes people choose to swim in other lakes in the Park such as the Tama lakes (located in the saddle between Ngauruhoe & Ruapehu) and the mountain streams.”
That’s richly ironic considering National Geographic takes great pain in the article to criticize the European presence (which brings us to Point 2). When Europe first encountered New Zealand, they brought game animals and pets, and plants with which to feed them. Admittedly, this harmed native species. Currently, Kiwis of both European and Maori descent are working together very closely to undo this damage. That’s something the NG article glosses over too much. Also note the rangers showing respect to the Maori belief and customs.
Also on the subject of the devastation of Tongariro’s native flora and fauna – let’s remember that volcanoes have scorched and scoured this land. There’s a reason it’s devoid of life in many places. Hot gas and lava will have that affect on plants and creatures, right?
The Emerald Pools - with lots of people.
I’m also disturbed by the insinuation that the Whakapapa ski village is like plopping Vail down in the middle of the Grand Canyon. “Incongruously, the North Island’s most popular ski areas sit on the three slopes of Ruapehu, with their associated shops, lifts, and roads,” Mel White writes. Say what? It might attract a half-million visitors a year, but the Whakapapa ski are is about as unpretentious and bare-bones as you can get. I drove into Whakapapa Village full well knowing there was a ski resort there. But there are only two small hotels there, and barely anyplace to get so much as a Powerbar for a long hike. Had I not known about the ski area, I never would’ve guessed it was there. Obviously, White has American expectations for what constitutes a ski resort. This is New Zealand – it’s a lot different. If White ever gets the chance to visit Whakapapa, I imagine the reaction would be “well, I really goofed on that one.” Whakapapa is hardly the Disney-esque vibe of Tahoe’s Northstar. Not only that, but the slopes it sits on are pretty much devoid of trees. It’s snow, slope and more snow. I’m not even sure how the park managers lay out the runs.
NG also hints that the Maori are eager to close Tongariro’s mountain tops to visitors, except those led by a Maori guide. Given the article’s tone, a reader who hasn’t been there would guess that there’s a simmering rift between New Zealanders on this issue. The thing is, I can remember only the scantest of mention about this. And hey, I’m an ex-journalist – I always have my ears open for controversy. I’d have to say that all but a handful of people in New Zealand consider this a non-issue.
Blue Lake as seen from near the top of Ngauruhoe.
Another thing that made me scratch my head is the photo of the Emerald Pools. There’s not a single person in any of them. I wonder if that was just being absolutely the first one there in the morning (as in camping there at night) or a little Photoshop trickery.
I guess the message here is that National Geographic can’t expect to accurately tell stories if the only person on the ground is the photographer. Chairborne journalism doesn’t cut it.
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Hey, it is a coincidence that even I read the article. Good that you wrote a critique. For some reason, NZ I guess still remains an untapped tourist destination and not many journals (unless published from NZ itself) can do justice to it. I do feel on its part even NZ government can do a lot more than what it is doing, to promote tourism here. However, these should not be the reasons for NG to carry an article that is result of arm chair journalism.