Tongariro National Park is an artist’s exploration of the park’s plants, animals and landscapes. With 400 illustrations and an informative but accessible text, Bovey deconstructs the park’s amazing landscapes, giving us not only scenery but the bones beneath. He describes how the plants and animals fit together and depend upon each other for survival in the often harsh and inhospitable Volcanic Plateau. Tongariro National Park is a field guide of rare quality for this popular park, home to one of the world’s most popular walks, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

When Desmond Bovey returned to his native New Zealand after thirty years in France, he felt a need to reconnect with the landscapes of his youth. He chose Tongariro National Park, inspired by a chance encounter with a kārearea, the New Zealand falcon. He returned again and again, sketchbook in hand, applying his delicate brush as he reacquainted himself with the dramatic landforms and ecology of the volcanic plateau. This exquisite book is the result. With 400 illustrations and an informative but accessible text, Bovey deconstructs the park’s amazing landscapes, giving us not only scenery but the bones beneath. His illustrations present Tongariro’s stunning landscapes, as well as the plants and animals that live there, describing the ways they fit together and depend upon each other for survival in an often harsh and inhospitable environment. Tongariro National Park is a field guide of rare quality, combining the highest quality of information with superb illustration, a treasure for anyone who loves these wonderful landscapes.