Last night we camped at the foot of 'Mount Doom' (Mt. Ruapehu) made famous during the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Close by is Mt. Ngauruhoe which served as the pedestal for 'The Eye' of Sauron in the movie. We went part way up Ruapehu this morning. It is still an active volcano and the widespread rubble-covered slopes are just what you saw in the third movie. Many of the second and third movie outdoor scenes were shot in Tongariro.

The park is NZ's oldest national park, similar in many ways to Glacier National in the States. We did some alpine hiking and hope to return before leaving NZ - magnificent!