Mt Ngauruhoe aka Mordor Mt. Doom

Finally got into the heart of the North Island in the Lake Taupo area and the best way to see it all is to do this 20 km hike through a mountain range with 3 huge active volcanoes + it’s free!  This trek is known as the best one-day’er in NZ and recognized by many to be within the top 10 in the world! This place was reeally put on the map by Peter Jackson as he used the park to film most of the “middle earth” Mordor battle scenes for Lord of the Rings–Mt Ngauruhoe aka Mt. Doom.  The other two volcanoes is the old Tongariro and the super active Mt Reaphu which last erupted in ‘07. As for the hike they estimate it takes 7 – 8 hrs…we did it in 5 and we even stopped a number of times to eat a french loaf and drink lemonade (b/c we didn’t bring enough water) and to take some photos and video (which I’ll upload later).

The hiking was pretty easy.. steep at times but not too difficult in the spring.   There isn’t a guide so if you’re trekking in the winter remember to bring serious mountaineering equipment as well it’s good to know there are hot springs on the descent to warm up… we heard an American women died from the cold and wasn’t aware of this.  Getting there and out,  if you have a car don’t bother shuttling from Taupo or picking up a shuttle around the park  just drive to the start and you can easily find a ride back to your car for a little cash (only send one person and you save even more).

If you’re in NZ for hiking this one cannot be missed: the environment is unlike anywhere else on earth, Mars-like at the beginning, mystical fairytale-ish over the crossing at 2500 meters and tropical jungle at the end–strange but cool + you can see where you walked in all of the LOTR films despite the heavy special effects layering.