We climbed* Mt Doom

*or crossed it at least

All is going swell in our trip around North Island. Bram and I got up early today to climb Mt Doom, “I will carry you Master Frodo”.
Our first attempt early in the morning was thwarted by a thick fog and no visibility. But the clouds magically cleared, chased away by the sun. Great news, we could hike 20 kms after all, yay. Sort of. But our hesitation soon turned into enthusiasm as we trekked further into volcano country. The Tongariro crossing is called one of the most beautiful day hikes in New Zealand and rightly so. Even the sulphur smell is worth it. Well, maybe that’s a bit exaggerated, but Bram’s farts are worse (he agrees).
The lack of oxygen made us giddy. That and snow! No Easter eggs for us, but snowballs galore! In 30 mins we went from 30 to 0 degrees, fact. See kids, that is why one wears layers.
We didn’t drop any ring in the crater, but we did fry a banana in a sulphur vent near Emerald lake. And sung Edelweiss of the top of our lungs – grunting is singing too right?
More photos to follow when we’re back home, here is some iPhone stuff.