Mordor 

Tongariro National Park isn't actually the abode of the dread Lord Sauron, nor is it a land of shadows, so much. For a few days it was a land of fog and rain, but even that cleared up to allow me two amazing, cloud-free days of hiking near Mt Doom, aka Mt. Ngaurohoe (or something like that- I am going by memory here). Also in the vicinty is Mt Ruapehu, also a volcano, and a third one a bit farther off that I caught a glimpse of as I hiked back to Wedge and the girls. Mt. Ngaurohoe was used as the template for Mt Doom, and digitally altered to make it more doomy. Pretty cool in real life still, though. I just got back from an overnight hike and I'm sore and tired, so my usual stunning wit and intellect are dulled somewhat- I wil return later to tell you some fascinating things I learned about Maori legends.