Throwback Thursday: Tongariro National Park aka the path to Mount Doom

Located on the north island of New Zealand, Tongariro national park is the road to Mount Doom (Lord of the Rings reference) aka Mount Ngauruhoe. The national park is the oldest park in New Zealand and everyday there are plenty of people who hike the Tongariro Alpine crossing which is 12.1 miles.

We originally wanted to hike the trail but we were late to catch a shuttle bus that took us to the trail head. We drove there ourselves and decided to hike to the highest point of the trail and then back down. The trail is definitely meant for those who are physically fit because it was  physically demanding.

From the highest point, you can see the Emerald lakes and the Blue lake. Too bad we couldn't go closer but that just means we have to go back =)

I highly recommend doing this hike if you are into that kind of stuff and also want to see Mount Doom close up! FYI, Mount Ngauruhoe was a stand in for the famous Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies!!