Mount Doom

Drove down to Tongariro area today and went on a walk around Lake Rotopounamu, which was about 4 miles in all, and involved some ascents to get there. Afterwards we drove along the Desert Road, which is a part of Highway 1 where Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed. This mountain is named Mt Ngauruhoe but was apparently Mt Doom in the films.
Would have liked to explore the Tongariro area some more but we need to head back towards Auckland now, to meet the family.