Following in Frodo’s footsteps // A hike across Mordor to Mount Doom
Following in Frodo’s footsteps // A hike across Mordor to Mount Doom (NZ)
So, you’re a bit of a film buff or maybe you’ve just watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy a few too many times (that’s ok, they’re the best movies of all time). Where better to go on your own adventure than the home of Middle Earth, New Zealand.
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Now for those of you that have been here you’ll know that before you have even been to any specific locations or national parks, you feel like you are instantly in the land of Orcs, wizards, hobbits and of course elves (Legolas is the boy). The serene beauty of the whole country is truly astonishing. I’ve never had this feeling about a place I’ve been. Just driving around it with a cheesy grin on my face as a new vista appears around every corner. Anyway, I could go on all day about it but my point is if you haven’t been, GO!
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​As a Middle Earth lover you have, and I mean HAVE TO go to the Tongariro National Park and hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This is home to Peter Jackson’s Mount Doom and the vast expanse of moonscape, which he fills with orcs, fire and lava and transforms it into the plains of Mordor. The hike itself goes up and over a saddle between two volcanoes, Mount Tongaririo and Mount Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom). The basic track takes 6.5-8.5 hours but if you’re feeling daring then you can add on either summit of the two peaks adding 1-2 and 3 hours to the hike respectively.
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There is plenty to see, even on the standard track, where you pass the Red Crater and the Emerald lakes. Mount Doom is the centrepiece of the whole hike though, with its menacing shape and red ash strewn slopes. You can see why Peter Jackson chose this spot to become Sauron’s back yard.
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The weather had been a bit treacherous in the days prior to our hike so were recommended not to summit Ngauruhoe without helmets as there would be rock slips climbing up the scree slope but this did not dampen our spirits although we had fancied re-enacting some of the movie moments on the peak. The views from the summit of Mt. Tongariro made up for that with breathtaking views back on Mt. Doom and down to the farmland below. You could even see out to Mount Taranaki, poking its head through the clouds, 90 miles away.
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So despite not being able to follow in Frodo and Sam’s exact footsteps and drop the ring off in Mt. Doom, this hike is up there as one of the best I have done in my life. Being a lotr nerd just adds to the phenomenal experience.
Don’t think about it, just do it!
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