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- Ever since we arrived in Taupo, Frank has been obsessed with this mountain.
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- We can see it from our porch just over the neighbor’s house…
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- and when we take the 3-minute walk to the lake.
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- “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.”
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- The drive through Tongariro National Park was beautiful.
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- Near Frank’s mountain is Mt Ngauruhoe. It’s an active perfect cone volcano, famous for appearing as Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings movies. At 2,287 meters high, it last erupted in 1977.
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- Frank’s Mt Ruapehu is the world’s most active volcano and New Zealand’s largest. The highest of its three peaks is 2,797 meters.
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- The large summit crater contains a lake but tours to see it can’t begin until the snow melts. The mountain is getting closer…
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- Current volcano status is restless. The lake inside the crater is about 30 degrees celcius with mild tremors. But no worries, the eruptions are generally mild.
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- At the base of the mountain is the elegant Chateau Tongariro, built during the roaring 20’s. We had a nice lunch here.
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- One of the two ski resorts, Whakapapa Village, allowed Frank the best chance to get up close and personal — a man and his mountain finally united.
Waltzing Wanderers 