New Zealand: Days 6-7

On our sixth day in New Zealand we left Rotorua and began the drive to Ohakune. We took our time driving through Tongariro National Park, and after the millionth windy road, reached the ski resort at Mount Ruapehu. It was so cold up there!

For any Lord of the Rings fans out there, did you recognize this range as Mount Doom?

This was one of our longest days of driving, so we made sure to take a few pit stops along the way, including a walk to this pretty waterfall.

Here's what Little m thought about it:

Another pit stop was to see the stream pictured below which is apparently where Gollum catches a fish in one of the movies. I stayed in the car for that one, hehe.

Once in Ohakune we ate dinner at The Powder Horn Hotel, which is where the LOTR cast stayed when they were in town. See a pattern here? Someone is a bit obsessed, me thinks!

After staying overnight in a sketchy motel that smelled like green peppers, we drove to Wellington. What a nice city! The peanut and I spent the afternoon exploring the Harbourfront while M went on a LOTR tour that brought him to a bunch of filming locations. More on Wellington next time!