Start of the Tongariro Crossing

Mount Ruapehu? Or Mount Doom?

---

February 9th 2007
Our first major stop on North Island is the famous Tongariro National Park, a park of volcanic landscapes, desolate lava fields and geothermal activity. It comes as no surprise that the Park's major peaks, Mounts Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe, starred in Peter Jackson's The Return of the King as Mount Doom. One of the park's most popular walks is the Tongariro Crossing, an unforgettable 18.5km, ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Tongariro National Park

---

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more