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New Zealand Slideshow
Travel Blogs from Tongariro, New Zealand
The Pikes tackle Mordor
This is a top pick! ... we chilled for the rest of the evening. The journey was a hard slog, was unplanned when we arrived in New Zealand, and was totally worth it. The Tongariro crossing is one of the world’s best one day hikes. It isn’t technically difficult, it ...
Journey to Mount Doom
This is a top pick! ... National Park and this meant driving along the Forgotten World Highway, a very winding road through some impressive scenery and New Zealand farmland. The National Park is a really cool volcanic area with a group of 3 huge volcanoes rising straight out of ...
Best day walk in New Zealand
This is a top pick! It was about time I'd experienced what's known as 'The best day walk in New Zealand'. A title like this unfortunately attracts the wrong kind of people. On the ten day walks , you might see 3-4 people each day and maybe even less , where as on a track ...
Sort of Tongariro Crossing
This is a top pick! ... ' in their hotel - was v nice and said our goodbyes. The weather was attempting to clear up so we went down to the Tongariro National Park to try and do a walk and hope that we might at least see some of the nearby volcanoes. After consulting the ...
Mount Ngauruhoe aka Mount Doom
This is a top pick! ... . If you fancy the Māori way try: Ngah-oo-roo-haw-eh. Ngauruhoe is the youngest vent and highest peak in the Tongariro volcanic complex and first erupted about 2,500 years ago. It lies between the active volcanoes of Mount Tongariro to the north and ...
Tongario National Park - Day 254-255
This is a top pick! ... . I beautiful afternoon drive along this twisty and undulating road, passing through rainforest and rolling green hills. Saw New Zealand's most famous volcano, Taranaki from a distance in the fading afternoon light as I approached New Plymouth. An ...
The Tongariro Debacle
This is a top pick! ... museum was free, and actually really interesting. They had large exhibits dedicated to Maori culture, and today only, had the New Zealand forensic team in teaching people about fingerprint tracing and DNA reading -- a real life CSI. Very cool.) Tomorrow ...
Have skis, will fall
This is a top pick! ... so we decided to take advantage of a scenic chairlift ride to the summit of Mount Ruapehu for coffee in the highest café in New Zealand and breath-taking views towards the National Park's other volcanoes. We didn't hang around too long as we were a ...
These boots were made for walkin'
This is a top pick! ... . I've had a fantastic time here, what with the spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, and crazy pant-filling activities. Definitely put New Zealand near the top of your list of places to visit. Next stop is the tiny South Pacific island of Rarotonga in ...
Tongariro Crossing
This is a top pick! ... in the distance. We had a lengthy rest at Ketahi hut halfway down where we ate lunch and sunbathed (and experienced New Zealand's smelliest latrine) then another stop at a thermally heated stream where we bathed our tired feet. Down through some scenic ...
Two types of cave and an Angoran shave
This is a top pick! ... long ago Sharks was asking to lend some money off me to buy some Angoran Rabbits, or was that just a way to buy a farm in New Zealand?) Anyway, that one is for you Mike. We had our pictures taken with the little cute things, they were so soft ...
Take me to the Volcano
This is a top pick! Moving on north today I took the small kiwi traveler bus up to Tongariro National Park home of New Zealand's best 1 day walk. Dan who also got on at Wellington was planning on doing the same walk being one of those travelers who immediately introduces ...
Recovering from all night football bash!
This is a top pick! We didn't make it out of bed until 11.30am today after last nights activities. We went and had bacon sandwiches by one of the big log fires - it was great. The snow is still rubbish up the mountains and the conditions are quite poor, so we definitely ...
5 hour bush walk - must need a shave!
This is a top pick! ... of lunch here as it was that nice a place. On the way back we got some awesome views of the three mountains : Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe (more famously known as Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings) and Mount Ruapehu. All through our trek we didn't ...
Here's Johnny!
This is a top pick! ... the Karioi Lodge at the Raglan Surf School, the beds here at Skotel are the most comfortable I have slept on in New Zealand so far. They make for a very pleasant, comforting reward after spending three whole minutes hobbling frantically along the dark ...
Visiting Mt. Doom
This is a top pick! ... Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Tongariro (used as Mt. Doom but digitally enhanced in LOR). We were also thinking about doing the famous Tongariro Crossing the next day, reportedly the best 1-day walk in NZ. However it was an 18km hike, you had to get up ...
Breaking in the camping gear...
This is a top pick! ... goes off at the same time every day (cheat bar of soap helps) Well I liked it anyway ! First offical night with the new camping gear. It rained. Was wonderful. Awoke in the morning to some sunshine and a cloudy sky but happy. Cooked up some ...
Into The Very Fires Of Mordor
This is a top pick! ... toast instead.) A bus drove us to the starting point of the Tongariro Crossing. Widely considered the best day hike in New Zealand, Tongariro Crossing is 19.4 kilometers long (12 miles) and takes you over an active geothermal area. It also provides you ...
On the road to Mordor
This is a top pick! Oh wow! What an amazing day! I've just spent 7 hours walking the Tongariro Crossing, between the volcanos of Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings) and Mount Tongariro, and it was just the most amazing thing!!! The day started with lots ...
Volcano country
This is a top pick! ... weather for the last few days, either raining, or threatening to. The worst thing about that is that it meant I couldn't do the Tongariro Crossing, one of the best day walks in NZ, and one that I definitely wanted to do. There are supposed to be ...
Lady and the (Alpine) Tramp
This is a top pick! ... covering, World Heritage listed, Tongariro National Park. This 19km tramp is considered the best day walk in the whole of New Zealand (and one of the best in the world) and hikes across active volcano craters , lush vegetation, and past beautiful ...
Misty Mountains
This is a top pick! ... it was low cloud and grey skies, at least they got the not raining part right. The 7:15am depart to the start of New Zealand's best one day walk certainly upped the better be worth it feeling with the thought of the 6-8 hour hike ahead. Starting ...
Into Middle Earth
This is a top pick! ... so tender. These holes can be used by anyone free of charge and is an amazing way of cooking food naturally. Next stop was Tongariro Chateau which has great views over the National Park - which is where you can really see why this place was used as ...
Snowboarding Attempt Number 1
This is a top pick! ... the official start of winter. The weather was like winter as well, with cloud and rain. We left Taupo and drove to Tongariro National Park and stopped at a place called Okahune, the base for Turoa Skifield, with the intention of doing two days ...
Stroll in the Park
This is a top pick! Wow! Beautiful! Gorgeous! It's hard to find the words that do justice to the experience that is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. You simply have to do it yourself... then you'll know. Having travelled through most of NZ it's easy to become blase about the ...
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Finally we are back on the north island of New Zealand. We took a semi-bumpy ferry across the straight at 6:00 AM with Gale Force winds in the morning. When we got to the ferry terminal, Omega, our rental car company, forgot to pick us up, so we spent ...
Mordor
... bring back to The Shire. But alas Middle Earth's temperamental weather had thrown them a snow storm! the walk to Mount Doon (Tongariro) would have to be called off for a second time! A bitterly disappointed pair of hobbits turned back and headed to ...
Doomed
... for it’s architecture or cities in general so we didn’t hang around and decided to stick to what New Zealand does best and headed to Tongariro National Park to get into some volcanic activity. We arrived in the dark and set up the tent ...