Tongariro Alpine Crossing

After the high of the skydive we woke up at 5am the next morning in order to catch the shuttle to the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing; an 18km walk through a volcanic region of the national park where parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed (including the location of Mount Doom! - see below).

It was a great walk and very unique in terms of the landscape and the views. We decided to take the side track to the summit of Mount Tongariro where we were rewarded with excellent views of Mount Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom) and the South Crater.

After descending and rejoining the main track we ascended over Red Crater and down to the Emerald Lakes. After the lakes we had lunch before making our way past Blue Lake and then descending down to Ketetahi to complete a long but excellent day.