After a pretty amazing stint near the base of Mt Egmont, we pressed eastward towards the great range of Tongoriro National Park. The RV Park was at the base of Mt Ruepehu (aka Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings) which is at 3500 ft. The mountain peak looms above at a breezy 10,000 ft and can be seen from several hundred km away. Ely and I hiked in and out of the tree line around the 5,000 ft range for about 4 miles in full view of 2 other surrounding snow capped volcanoes. We didn’t see 1 person the entire hike, and my hand held GPS was absolutely crucial in determining our distance from base camp (thanks Mom and Dad!)
On the way, we stopped on the side of the road and found this giant right hander.
From there we took a loop to the little town of Taupo where we journeyed through a geothermal trek known angelscamp.org as “Craters of the Moon” (as suggested by Dylan). Here’s a few shots from this truly unique landscape.
After a quick hike through the steaming rocks, we were off to a quick winery stop in the Eskdale Valley close to the city of Napier. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to bring a bottle back due to weight constraints, so we will have to drink everything here (oh well!).
Up next, back to the surf. You’ll see a few shots from surfing on a farm (wait til you see this giant pig that greeted us like a Labrador) and Gisborne (where a 6 star was held in March).
Mount DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!