Mount Ruapehu? Or Mount Doom?

---

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, eight-hour day walk through some of Tongariro's most spectacular scenery - volcanic sand plains, sky blue lakes, rumbling craters and razor-sharp rocks. Needless to say we slept veeeery well that night!

---