woke up at 4:30am, took a 2 hour bus ride to

tongariro & climbed up and down volcanoes for 8 hours.

this is the red crater volcano.

 

the emerald sulphur lakes were such
a stark contrast to the gray volcanic terrain.

 

the rest of the hike was downhill

and full of breath taking views, such as this:

 

the entire day seemed surreal and

almost too beautiful to be real.

because we didn't end up climbing mount doom

(mt. ngauruhoe), we had enough time to

take many snack breaks, appreciate the views,

and photograph everything to our heart's content.

those who did climb mount doom said

they basically ran through

the entire crossing and realized they

didn't really get to "see" any of it

because they were too worried about time

and making the last bus back to taupo.

twas a satisfying day.