New Zealand – Mordor

Well actually the Tongariro National Park!This is where mount Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe) is situated but it was covered it was covered in cloud as we entered the park. Weirdly Mount Ruapehu above was clear.Before we arrived at the village of Whakapapa, which is a ski resort in the winter and a hikers paradise at other times, we visited Tawhai falls or in Lord of the rings Gollums pool. It’s a short walk and very pretty spot.

I think Lee is discovering that there is a whole new world of verbal errors and unintentional double entendres, called ‘Debbyisms’ (I made that up!). Unfortunately I am very good at these so, the phrase for today was “Going down is always a problem, it’s hard on the knees” which had no context and made Lee guffaw! I am such an innocent it seems!
Carrying on and up the mountain to as far as the ski village above the tree line, the ground is blasted as you would expect from a volcano and it is still active. There is a carpet of strange white vegetation, I couldn’t work out if it was flowers or leaves, the latter I think.

Later we drove a short distance along the ‘Forgotten World Highway’. It was not really what I was expecting being very much farm land but it was beautiful in its own way.

We turned back and stopped for a quick walk at Ohinetonga Reserve where I had been before (and somewhere I had read LOTR had filmed something!). Here Lee spotted a New Zealand Robin, it has a white belly and a grey breast but otherwise looks and behaves like the European variety.

Another busy day, I’m going to need a holiday when Lee leaves!