view from bedroom when we woke up why we take longer leaving hotel behind through magical forests and crossing ice cold streams rushing waterfalls Ruapehu Taranaki Falls , look closelydo you see him, some nutter in shorts under the waterfall, water that has just melted from a few hundred meters upstream form snow, so that water is freezing . . . no thanks :-) lunar landscape Mt Ruapehu on my right and Mt Ngauruhoe on my left we're not the only ones out here doing the hike maybe halfway Jacqui found some snow Lower Tama lake tongarirostrut4fps_13 to think that mountain erupted several times the past 30 years, do a google search on Mt Ruapehu eruption and you'll see what I mean calm today great ski fields there by the way heading back ( should make it back in time for pre dinner drinks :-) Chalets at the bottom of the ski fields