Blue lake

Tongariro Crossing

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March 20th 2010
(above is a panorama photo with me in it, on the right, taken by Kevin Hutchens) Tongariro National Park is an amazing volcanic landscape in summer and a ski destination in winter. It has three major peaks, Tongariro (1967m), Ngauruhoe (2287m) and Ruapehu (2797). The area is featured as the land of "Mordor" in the Lord Of The Rings Movies where the Ngauruhoe peak stars as "Mount Doom". There ar ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Tongariro National Park

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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