After moving from Auckland to Taupo, we were blessed with summer-like weather in New Zealand's early spring. So, we hit the road to the Tongariro National Park and the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) sites located there. We could see the three main peaks (Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu) from the shores of Lake Taupo. Anna could even "pet" them as she let them know that we would be visiting later in the day. These peaks are active volcanoes – Ruapehu erupted in 2007 and 1995-96. The close-up picture of Ruapehu shows the chalet where the LOTR actors and crew stayed for several months while filming. From a closer vantage point, it's easy to visualize Ngauruhoe as Mount Doom and we could almost see Frodo and Sam struggling up the steep slopes to destroy the ring.
There are ski areas on the west (Whakapapa) and south (Turoa) slopes. You can see how rugged the slopes are, as well as the Whakapapa ski lift. Both ski areas were open when we visited (1 Oct), but were closed a week later (8 Oct). The Whakapapa river tumbling down the west slope clearly shows the clash between winter (snow on Ruapehu) and spring (trees on the riverbank leafing out). We drove up to the Whakapapa ski area (all the names that are difficult to pronounce are Maori and the "Wh" is pronounced as an "F" – so it's Fa-ka-pa-pa) and enjoyed our picnic lunch in a nearby carpark, where we could look over the entire valley. Ham sandwiches taste as good as a fancy meal when you have that view! We then drove down to the south slope (near the town of Ohakune). Driving up to the Turoa ski area, we stopped at Mangawhero Falls for another LOTR sighting (where Gollum chases and catches a fish in The Two Towers). You can almost see him splashing down the creekbed. Anna admired the view of the falls themselves, so much so that she took the close-up photo of them. (Otherwise, Kent has assumed all the picture-taking responsibilities! Anna just likes to admire the scenery.)
On our return trip (along the eastern side of the National Park on the Desert Road), we stopped in the town of Turangi (at the southern tip of Lake Taupo). There, we found the Tourist Information site almost unchanged from our 2005 trip. We ended up driving nearly 400 km today – WHEW!
