Closest I'll come to the moon.

These dramatic clouds swept in as we reached the top of the Tongariro Crossing. Surrounded by solidified lava flows, empty lake beds and sleeping volcanoes it was easy to believe you'd entered the Mesozoic Era by accident.

This is actually a lake bed, not the site of a dinosaur-extinguishing meteor strike. I like to imagine the surface of the moon looks like this, but in greyscale. That's Mt Ngauruhoe vanishing into the cloud on the left. He's still resting after his recent cinematic appearance as Mt Doom.

If dinosaurs drank from this lake, they would probably die.

Take one step backwards and you, too, could become ancient history!

The 19km Tongariro Crossing trail passes between two active volcanoes, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. There are helpful signs advising you when you're standing in the pathway of a former pyroclastic flow, as well as what to do in the event of an eruption ("Run").

It's easily the best day walk in New Zealand. The scenery changes dramatically every few kilometres and you can clearly see how massive (and recent) seismic forces have shaped the landscape.  

If you ever do the walk, take warm things, even if it's a blisteringly hot day. It's very chilly on the moon plateau and the weather can change almost instantaneously. I made a top mountain walking mistake and forgot my first aid kit at the bach. Of course I ended up needing it. Loose scoria, it tricks us.