The Tongariro Alpine Crossing

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Amazing 7 hours hike up in the volcanic mountains!
The biggest of the vulcanos, Mount Ngauruhoe is actually Mordor's Mount Doom of "The Lord of the Rings".

Mount Doom!

The landscape changes from green to black/burnt and dead at the beginning
(just like Mordor) to yellow and red later on!

It feels like being on the moon.
The tiny dots in the middle are people crossing the valley after us!

It was really, really windy and the path really, really narrow! … hard work to get up there!

After the narrow part, the edge of the crater, the rocks and the soil became red!

…and the Esmerald Lakes opened up in front of us!

with a look back we start descending

and emerging back into a more fertile world!