Our last big hike in New Zealand probably was my favorite thing that we did on the North Island. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a trek acclaimed for its beauty, unique scenery, and distance. At 20 km in length, the trail must be started first thing in the morning and takes into early evening to complete, especially if you are up to an additional challenge. Mount Ngauruhoe, known better around the world as Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings movies, is along this path and can be climbed. That is, if you don't mind the risk that it is not exactly inactive. So why not? Below are some of the views of volcanos, craters, thermal pools, and distant lakes we took in from our hike above the clouds.
A panorama of the craters. It pops out if you click on it, just saying...
We ended our long day on the shores of lake Taupo and stayed the night there.