A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Turangi, New Zealand by TravelPod blogger Bernadtom titled "Ascent of the Ruapehu Volcano" Bernadtom’s travel blog entry: "THE BEST!!! Welcome to Middle-earth. First thing: The weather was just perfect with a clear sky from the start in Auckland the 16th am to the night of the 17th after the trek. In this condition, the drive to Turangi, town on the footstep of the great Tongariro National Park, was amazing. The countryside was superb with thousands of shades of green, and small hills everywhere. From what we saw, for me New Zealand = Ireland + Alps + a unique special vibe. In other words, it is everywhere breathtaking and you just want to stop the car every 200m to take a photo of another sublime scenery. We wanted to do the Tongariro Alpine crossing, but it was closed so we went for a guided trek: the ascent of Ruapehu, the highest mountain of the North Island (2754m) and one of the most active volcanoes (last eruption was 24 Sept 2007). The views were supposed to be as good as the ones that the Alpine Crossing can offer... we have not been disappointed. The views of the valley around with the famous "Lord of the Rings" mount Doom, the walk on the main crater and climbing on ice/snow with crampons and ice axe were an unforgettable experience." Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from this trip: 1. "Sheeps" 2. "Countryside with the lake Taupo" 3. "Playground to come" 4. "Lake Taupo" 5. "From mid ascent" 6 ...