CHAPTER 19
As if we hadn’t had enough hiking and volcanoes, the day after our epic ascent up Mt. Taranaki, we set our eyes on a much more well-traveled path: the Tongariro Crossing is a 20km trail over barren lava fields, past sulfuric steam vents, unnaturally colored ponds, and around towering volcanoes- the menacing Mt. Doom of Lord of the Rings fame stealing the show. We unabashedly walked past the turn off for the Mt. Doom summit trail, content with our volcano climbing success from the day before, and spent a lazy afternoon eating a picnic lunch on the shores of a brilliantly green mineral lake.
After all this hiking we were ready for a little R n’ R. Luckily the beautiful Lake Taupo lies just a little north of Tongariro National Park, and it was with great relish that we slipped into the steaming waters of a hot springs just down river from the lake. The spring drains its boiling effluent into the frigid waters of the river, where they mingle to create the perfect natural ‘hot tub’. Too hot? Swim further out into the river. Too cold? Make your way closer into the springs. The best part about it? Free. We loved it.
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