Chilled down, post Tongariro! Drinks in Taupo - meet up with 'Team Denmark' again, hit funky bar - best tunes of trip so far!

Wake up at 530 (yes am!!) to do the mammoth 17km / 7hr hike that is the Tongariro hike. Scenery on way to national park is awesome - drive by lake Taupo for ages and then go past Mt Doom and other Lord of the Rings scenery. Hike itself is amazing - 1st half is 'challenging' as the brochure puts it - massively up hill - rocky, molten lava, mud terrain! Have lunch by the Emerald lakes - and then continue hike through countryside, rainforest, hills and mountains...

Nice chilled morning down by the lake - great photos! Drive River Valley - Taupo (with 2 Danish girls Trina & Maria we met in River Valley) - banter Chris - u would have loved it! Awesome drive down to Taupo - which has the largest lake in Southern Hemisphere!! Park up van with other campers in car park by the lake - great photos of sun set! Hit Taupo (not hard) as up 530 2m for Tongariro Crossing - Irish Pub and The Shed - foundations for 2m!