Trekking in New Zealand . Ohakune area short walks Tongariro National Park. The atmosphere is so crystal-clear we can see the snow wrinkles at its peak, a cone so perfect that Taranaki stood in for Mount Fuji in Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai. Scientists terraforming Mars need look no further than here. By the time the sun has risen a few more degrees and we can make out the angle of the slope ahead, we’ve both woken up properly. RELATED: How tough can Britain’s toughest trail really be? The spectacular view all the way down to Lake Taupo from the plateau of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Walk from The Shire to Mordor via jungle, beach, and mountain peaks ... It’s one of New Zealand’s big selling points, but the separate counties enforce strict rules and limit your options. Stay: National Park (1 night) DAY 4 - Tongariro National Park - Wellington Continue your journey through farmlands to New Zealand's capital city - Wellington. DAY 6 - Tongariro National Park - Wellington Continue your journey through farmlands to New Zealand's capital city - Wellington. With Chris Demarais, Nicholas Newton, Kerry Shawcross. Ominous clouds are encircling Mount Ngauruhoe on our right; its perceptible menace was not lost on director Peter Jackson who substituted this landscape for Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. Walk To Mordor. Tongariro/Taupo region Ithilien. It took us two years to even get this subscription form sorted out. Tongariro Alpine Crossing – Mordor / Mt Doom. Ruapehu and Mt. I concentrate on Joe’s boots in front of me: He’s taking his time, like everyone else, to check his footing with each stride. Whatever—without a word being exchanged, here we are, walkmates on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Look no further. The first part of the track, from the Mangatepopo car park to the Soda Springs is a pleasant walk. There, above a ring of clouds, rises Mount Taranaki in all its glory, 138 kilometers away as the crow flies. Day 1: Auckland to Rotorua | LOTR Driving Route: Hobbiton - Mordor - River An... Taupo New Zealand Scenic Highlights, Things to See in Lake Taupo NZ. I recall Kiwi Mike’s words in the bus: “For the athletes among you,” he’d said, “the fastest time for the trail is 1 hour and 47 minutes.”. The New Zealand Cycle Trail covers the country from head to toe. New Zealand's West Coast is a unique destination with a pristine lush green environment. Proper hiking gear is essential. Lord of the Rings Ultimate Middle Earth Self-Drive Holiday Tour New Zealand, ... Lord of the Rings The One Tour Self-Drive Holiday Tour New Zealand, Self-Driv... New Zealand Scenery, New Zealand's Scenic Views, Expand your search to see results that contain. According to Joe’s book of Maori lore, when priest Ngatoro first arrived here from the north, he decided to climb these mighty peaks with his slave girl Auruhoe. A gasping 45 minutes on, I plant my boot on the edge of the South Crater with what seems my last breath. Joe and I look at each other. Mordor Coordinates: 39° 19.161'S 175° 30.158'E - view in Google maps Access: Ohakune Mountain Rd. It’s a full hour downhill until we reach the Ketetahi hut, where a ranger counts us all out—glad, I presume, not to have to summon a helicopter today—and then another anticlimactic hour-and-a-half through a podocarp forest starring ancient totara and manuka trees. I was pretty much chained to my desk the past few days working, so I hardly had the time to explore the area. I sense it and so does Joe: “One small burp” he says, “and everyone on the trail is dead”. Before or after visiting NZ, a DVD helps you experience the country. And it was to preserve its pristine nature in the face of settler encroachment that chief Te Hueheu donated the area to the people of New Zealand in 1887, thus creating the world’s fourth national park and New Zealand’s first: Tongariro. The terrain here could easily double for Mars, should NASA ever need to fake a landing. Mangatepopo Valley. “One does not simply walk into Mordor” Well in New Zealand you actually can. Maori history and culture are part of New Zealand's identity. Mangawhero River: Gollum catches a fish. Some pipits are chirping to celebrate our arrival. Relive the fantasy while getting or staying fit! The spirits demanded a sacrifice, so Ngatoru threw Auruhoe to the crater and named the mountain after her: Ngauruhoe. For an overall guide for New Zealand take the Lonely Planet New Zealand guide. 1 - 8 of 8 Results. Huts. Now we’re ready to tackle ‘The Devil’s Staircase,’ a steep, irregular incline of volcanic debris zigging and zagging to a top we cannot yet discern. Make sure you pack rain gear so we can explore it together and remember: if you want to see a rainbow you have to see some rain! John Malathronas is a London-based travel writer whose foreign language skills allow him to get under the skin of a destination. Who can read more than that, anyway? Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures. Like all New Zealand birds, they look at us unperturbed, with a gaze that says: “I used to be a dinosaur, you know.” And it is here, looking across all the way to Lake Taupo and the voluptuous curves of Mount Pihanga clad in a cloak of green foliage, that we sit down to have our baguettes (me) and energy bars (Joe). Privacy | Disclaimer | Sitemap, Day 3: Taupo to Turangi | LOTR Driving Route: Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin. Like all New Zealand birds, they look at us unperturbed, with a gaze that says: “I used to be a dinosaur, you know.”. We'll either be camping or staying at an Inn or something similar if … Need a self drive, sightseeing or ski holiday package? ... Hobbits Frodo and Sam had to walk through the vastness that was Erewhon in the Lord of the Rings - an easier way to view this magnificent film scene is via a hot air balloon. New Zealand is one of the best countries in the world for trekking. However, there is nothing simple about it, nor should it be taken lightly. Lord of the Rings Highlights Self-Drive Holiday Tour New Zealand, Self-Drive ... Lord of the Rings Driving Routes, LOTR Self Drive Routes New Zealand. It’s serene, cold and highly acidic, but some dowdy green mosses are growing defiantly in patches around its edge. Once on the rim of the Red Crater—no prizes for guessing its color—we follow a path so tight that it sometimes narrows down to six feet with steep drops either side. A very memorable day on a very unremarkable hike, A Welsh colony in Patagonia? “So they ran through the track and spent four hours in the parking lot?” he asks. The enforced stop leads our gaze west across the Mangatepopo plain to the Wanganui valley and beyond. You’ll be trapped!” I look down at the abyss and shudder—would they helicopter us out? It was founded in 1887 and it is the oldest New Zealand park and the fourth oldest national park in the world. We’re told that the athletes who’d rushed beyond us made it in two hours and 20 minutes. I’ll take this moment to point out that the NZ Dept. I remember Kiwi Mike: “Do not, I repeat, do not fall down into the Red Crater. Better for the calf muscles! In this short video, we meet two guys who spent a week in New Zealand making the 120 mile trek from Hobbiton to the film location of Mount Doom to prove that you can actually walk into Mordor. Buy Kiwiana and other New Zealand products quickly and easily. Often described as New Zealand's greatest day walk, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a challenging journey across a remarkable volcanic landscape. Yes. Try using these tags: A boardwalk leads towards the infamous and challenging ‘Devil’s Staircase’ along New Zealand’s Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Take time to visit Tawhai Falls, the beech and toatoa-lined river tumbling over an ancient lava flow into a rock pool can easily be imagined as Henneth Annun. Ngatoro prayed to the ancestral gods who sent the fire demons like a flash and the mountains erupted with fire to warm the priest back to life. From here, the walk to Mordor really was a walk in the park. The hike up to the Red Crater, pictured, was shorter but even more grueling than the Devil’s Staircase. The Origin of the popular advice animal meme: "One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor" ed is a tuppy beil Take a look at 4 of the best hikes in New Zealand. I decide to do the latter. Note that the weather can be treacherous even at the height of summer and the trail can close at short notice. At the height of summer, up to 1000 people file … The worts hugging the rocks are still wet with dew and every step is treacherous. There the ground was firm and was hard on our bones, but this is like climbing on sand and it’s hard on our muscles. We suggest a visit to our national museum…, …Hobbits Frodo and Sam had to walk through the vastness that was Erewhon in the Lord of the Rings - an easier way to view this magnificent film scene is via a hot air balloon. The entire Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, as imagined by Peter Jackson in the film adaption of the books, serves as a highly effective tourism advert for New Zealand.. Having seen all the films, and being a bit of a Tolkien fan, it was inevitable that New Zealand would make it onto my list of places I must visit. The New Zealand Road Spiral Atlas (HEMA, ISBN13 9781877302367) features Lord of the Rings locations. The entire area is protected by UNESCO. If you’re brand new and starting out, go for a walk TODAY and begin your journey to Mordor. Tongariro National Park lies on the North Island. You’ll be trapped!” I look down at the abyss and shudder—would they helicopter us out? The sun is now behind us as we tread Tongariro’s eastern slopes. Over 5,000 NZ events listed - find an event anywhere in the country. Tomorrow morning before work, before breakfast, as SOON as you wake up, put on your shoes, and go outside for a five-minute walk. I can’t remember how I met tall, lanky Yorkshire Joe. The variety of scenery on New Zealand walks always amazes us. We know you're busy, so we'll only send you two emails a month. After traversing the South Crater, we face a second climb to the Red Crater—it may e shorter, but its far more tiring than the Devil’s Staircase. We find a bench to sit on and lean against a wall to rest our aching limbs while we wait for the bus back. To celebrate the release of The Hobbit this month, two super nerds will do in six days what took Frodo and Sam three movies to complete. Directed by Chris Demarais, Kerry Shawcross. After such hellish creation myths, it’s no wonder the plateau is sacred—tapu—to the Maori. A boardwalk leads us towards a blinding sun that confers a fiery copper glow to the tussock- and lichen-strewn field we’re traversing. Welcome to the Welsh Wild West. We marvel, drink some water and take photos. It’s taken us six-and-a-half hours overall. Perhaps take a short helicopter flight into the heart of Mordor or visit Whakapapa Ski Field for further Mordor locations (own…, …Driving Routes Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin Itinerary (4 Days) Start: Auckland Finish: Wellington Includes: Auckland, Hamilton, Cambridge, Rotorua, Taupo, Turangi, National Park and Wellington. Beyond Middle-earth: What is New Zealand’s secret power? After the eerie silence of the trail and the sporadic birdsong of the forest, the human hum sounds abnormal, alien, aberrant. The descent from the Red Crater is hairy, like stepping down a scree, but the view is absurdly spectacular. I'm planning a holiday with a group of friends to walk from The Shire (Hobbiton in Matamata) to Mt Doom in Mordor (Mt Ngauruhoe). This afternoon, go for five-minute walk. He has authored or co-authored 20 books and has bylines in CNN Travel, National Geographic Traveller and the Daily Telegraph. Billed as one of New Zealand’s best day hikes, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing winds through a national park best known as Peter Jackson’s Mordor. Come here to experience the magic of silence, and be in awe of the REAL Middle‑earth™. Check out the range of adrenaline, adventure or relaxing activities in New Zealand. We suggest a visit to our national museum - Te Papa.…, …into the heart of Mordor or visit Whakapapa Ski Field for further Mordor locations (own expense). Then comes the glorious sight of the twin Emerald Lakes, their green as brilliant as South Island jade. My Morning Walk to Mordor – Queenstown, New Zealand. And right here on the North Island of New Zealand, Mordor was born. Tongariro National Park New Zealand, is NZ's oldest National Park and a dual World Heritage area. The sound of slipping pebbles makes everyone stop and look aside. Further on, we pass by fumaroles spewing hot, noxious sulphide gases and reach the north shore of Blue Lake. But we could already see that was going to get harder again. Sliding gravel turns to boggy soil with a cover of tussock, daisies and gentians. It starts off easily enough - a relatively flat path across a quite barren landscape, which gets increasingly desolate the further along you go...more like Mordor, in fact. With the first of three “Hobbit” movies about to be released, New Zealand is preparing for the next wave of Tolkien tourists, from the hills of the Shire to the peaks of Mordor. The national park’s landscape is so unearthly that it was used to depict Mordor; home of the evil Sauron, in Peter Jackson’s famed films of J.R.R. We’d both been psyched up for the ascent, but no one had warned us about the long, spiraling descent. RELATED: Beyond Middle Earth: What’s New Zealand’s secret power? Track overview. Once again, I remember Kiwi Mike: “Do not, I repeat, do not fall down into the Red Crater. So, take out everything you bring in. Experience it. Two guys in singlets and shorts are madly scrambling up the slope on all fours as if on the run from wild animals, notably missing in New Zealand. Did he sit next to me? In fact, it feels like you are walking on the moon! But once up, the weather turned, and a cold wind almost froze them both to near-death. Hiking one of New Zealand's active volcanoes, Mount Ngauruhoe, isn't an undertaking for the unprepared. Due to frequent rain it's sometimes called the Wet Coast. We certainly can't. Mount Ngauruhoe (Māori: Ngāuruhoe) is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand.It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago.Although often regarded as a separate mountain, geologically it … “They’re trying to beat the record,” Joe says. The Tongariro Crossing is regularly called the best day walk in New Zealand, but with big claims come big crowds. New Zealand has 14 National Parks aimed at protecting nature for the future. Lindis Pass and Misty Mountains - Canterbury You don't have to be a Lord of the Rings fan to appreciate the breathtaking…, ©2020 New Zealand Tourism Guide. From forest parks to scenic reserves, alpine areas to protected coasts, there are hundreds of special conservation places. Even small gusts of wind make our balance tricky. In … Thanks to a geologically turbulent past, the area provided the Lord of the Rings crew with the raw material they needed to create mystical Middle-earth, including Mordor, Emyn Muil, Mount Doom and the…, …Park. Make your trip easier and buy a detailed New Zealand map. Togariro is home to many amazing native creatures including the short and long tailed bats, you may also see robins, fantails, parakeets and kereru. Trash bins are only at the beginning and at the end of the track. NZ is home to stunning golf courses set in incredible locations of natural landscapes. This is around a 200KM walk and will probably take us about a week to finish. Billed as the best one-day hike in New Zealand, this 19-kilometer trail bisects the North Island’s central volcanic plateau reaching a summit of 1,886 meters. While the whole region looks like something conjured up in the mind of J.R.R. Level up your exercise by tracking the distance you walk/run/bike/etc along the path Sam and Frodo took to Mordor in Lord of the Rings. You can get the bus to Mangatepopo and back from Ketetahi hut with Tongariro Expeditions. Mt Ruapehu: Trip to Mordor - See 457 traveler reviews, 521 candid photos, and great deals for Tongariro National Park, New Zealand, at Tripadvisor. With the upcoming December release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, New Zealand will again be top of mind. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Hunt down those real-life fantastical scenes on our Hobbit trail. Let’s go! Otherwise you might be forced to pay for a spot on an expensive campsite. 1. The Tongariro Crossing is regularly called the best day walk in New Zealand, but with big claims come big crowds. Plus, you’ll get to visit Weta Workshop, where many of the set and prop pieces were designed, all while enjoying fabulous feasts and good drink. The New Zealand Cycle Trail covers the country from head to toe. Billed as the best one-day hike in New Zealand, this 19-kilometer trail bisects the North Island’s central volcanic plateau reaching a summit of 1,886 meters. We'll either be camping or staying at an Inn or something similar if … Gay marriage has helped pave the way for rainbow tourism in New Zealand. Why, even some pipits are chirping to celebrate our arrival. The landscape here is just stunning. To celebrate the release of The Hobbit, two Lord of the Rings super-fans, Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais, attempt to walk over 120 miles across New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton to the real life Mount Doom in only six days. It's no wonder Peter Jackson chose this as the location for Beorn's House in The Hobbit Trilogy, as well as Isengard, Lothlorien and Amon Hen in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. of Conservation lists the Crossing as “challenging” and you should have a … Deep in the heart of New Zealand’s Dual Heritage, Tongariro National Park is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, known as one of the best one-day walks in the world and one of New Zealand’s nine ‘Great Walks.’. The most popular options to explore the park are the Tongariro Northern Circuit (one of the Great Walks) and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 19.4km long day walk. Can't find what you’re looking for? Because yes, we’re in the middle of the most active volcanic plateau in one of the most unstable lands on Earth. Was he alongside me at the Lake Taupo stop before dawn, waiting for the transfer bus to Tongariro National Park? There is a nice rule in New Zealand. Whatever—without a word being exchanged, here we are, walkmates on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. One does not simply walk into Mordor, indeed. A wide range of popular and useful New Zealand travel books. Take this two-week adventure across all of New Zealand, giving you access to Hobbiton, various scenes within Mordor, Edoras, Pelennor Fields, and more. We can see all the way to the Rangipo desert and the jagged peaks of Mount Ruapehu. Is this the best island in the world for stargazing. There are no huts on the one-day Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek. Paradise - a real place in New Zealand's Southern Lakes region is a picture of glorious isolation and natural grandeur. Trekking … Doing the walk involved a crack of dawn start (the bus came at 5:40am) as this is a loooong walk. The 19-kilometer Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park is billed as the best day hike in New Zealand. Huts can be found only on the "Great Walk" Northern Circuit route. The epic Mount Ngauruhoe, seen here from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, is named after an equally epic Maori creation myth. Could you turn down a chance to follow in Frodo’s footsteps? Mordor/Tongariro National Park is actually the oldest national park in New Zealand and also includes the two volcanoes of Mt. As the baby in the threesome, Ngauruhoe is the most impressive as no ice age has smoothened its perfect volcanic cone. Description: An itinerary that will take you from the peacefulness of the Shire to the depths of Mount…, …helicopter flight into the heart of Mordor or visit Whakapapa Ski Field for further Mordor locations (own expense). NZ has excellent ski and snowboarding options for a range of abilities on many skifields. It's the perfect background for any picture, or why not, any film. You can walk the track in either direction, but the more popular option begins at Mangatepopo Valley. Tongariro. Beyond Middle Earth: What’s New Zealand’s secret power? Information about Travel insurance for people visiting, working or settling in New Zealand. We hear the din of the crowd before we make out the coaches waiting at the end of our hike. This is around a 200KM walk and will probably take us about a week to finish. Fantails—a native bird—flit by as we pass through their territory, waiting for us to disturb insects as we plod along. In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, how long would it take someone to walk from the Shire to Mordor and how much quicker would it be to fly the journey on the back of an eagle?In both Tolkien's original work and Peter Jackson's movie trilogy, young Frodo Baggins is tasked with carrying his uncle's world-threatening ring to the one place in the land where it can be unmade. If you liked this article about trekking the Tongariro Crossing a … How tough can Britain’s toughest trail really be? September 11, 2015 by jeffsetter. Did we laugh together when Kiwi Mike, the bus guide, warned us irreverently to be “wary of the Ngauruhoe volcano ‘cos it’s an open anus with the smelliest farts in the Pacific”? I'm planning a holiday with a group of friends to walk from The Shire (Hobbiton in Matamata) to Mt Doom in Mordor (Mt Ngauruhoe). It all starts deceptively flat at the Mangatepopo parking lot. This morning marked our final day staying at the Hilton Queenstown. Tolkien, it’s Emerald Lake that really steals the show. Do you research so you know where it’s legal to spend the night and plan ahead. Related Categories: Rohan | Free Brochures | Swing Bridge | The Shire | 4wd Tracks Waikato | Mt Doom, Skip to main content Home »Driving Routes »Lord of the Rings »Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin »Day 3 Driving Route : Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin Itinerary * Overview * Day 1 : Auckland to Rotorua * Day 2 : Rotorua to Taupo * Day 3 : Taupo to Turangi * Day 4 : Turangi to…, Skip to main content Home »Driving Routes »Lord of the Rings »Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin »Day 1 Driving Route : Hobbiton - Mordor - River Anduin Itinerary * Overview * Day 1 : Auckland to Rotorua * Day 2 : Rotorua to Taupo * Day 3 : Taupo to Turangi * Day 4 : Turangi to…, …day hike from alpine meadow to mountain summit, with stunning volcanic landscapes along the way. , indeed rest our aching limbs while we wait for the unprepared really steals show. Again, I remember Kiwi Mike: “ do not, any film cover of tussock, daisies gentians! 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