The Gate to Mordor

We are leaving the East Coast and heading back inland to Lake Taupo. Actually, the Tongariro National Park was on the agenda, but the gate to Mordor is closed. This means that the road is blocked, and it will remain so until mid-March. One could access Mordor via a detour and reach Mount Doom. However, we are deterred by the longer travel time and the dense cloud cover. Mordor seems to be the local equivalent of 'Auer Loch' in terms of weather. Mount Doom is shrouded in clouds.

The hope of getting a better view of the mountain during our boat ride on the lake obviously proves unfounded. However, the Māori rock carvings are quite impressive. And besides, we do enjoy boat rides.

We sweeten our evenings with a soak in the hot tub… after all, one must relax! And to give the truth its due, the bed in the compact little castle is slowly demanding some tribute.