Fire and Ice: Secrets, Histories, Treasures and Mysteries of Tongariro National Park

What lies off-track in Tongariro National Park? This engrossing book contains stories of ghosts, fires, avalanches, plane wrecks, sly grogging, secret spots and more from around Ngauruhoe, Tongariro and Ruapehu -- a place of wild and chaotic grandeur.

This well-illustrated and lively exploration of the history of Ruapehu is told by a self-confessed ’Ruapehu addict’ who has an uncanny talent for persuading a cast of great characters to join her on her explorations and investigations. With over 200 historic and present-day images and 25 maps, it’s a must-have for all who love skiing, climbing and tramping around this mighty mountain.

Hazel Phillips is the author of four books: Fire & Ice (2025); Solo: Backcountry adventuring in Aotearoa New Zealand (2022); Wild Westie (2014), a biography of Sir Bob Harvey; and Sell! (2013), a history of the advertising industry. Her previous book Solo was shortlisted in the New Zealand Mountain, Film & Book Festival book awards (2022) for mountain and adventure narratives and was a New Zealand non-fiction bestseller. Hazel has a background in newspaper and magazine journalism, and her writing has been published in media and journals across New Zealand and Australia. She published an essay in the book Otherhood (2024) and contributed to the global publication Atlas of Mountaineering (2025), edited by Conrad Anker and Katie Ives. Hazel holds a Masters in Creative Writing with first-class honours and an MA in media studies. She is currently working on her next book, about early women climbers and adventurers of Aoraki Mount Cook.