Volcanoes and Forgotten World Highways

Leaving New Plymouth and Mt Taranaki via the Forgotten World Highway, a quite deserted stretch of road with quirky villages like Whangamomona on the way, whose inhabitants declared their independence from NZ after a local government decision. Nice ride, but very hilly and partly unsealed.
Tongariro NP is another climb to 900m and I was fortunate on my third attempt to do the Tongariro Crossing, I shared that experience with quite a few fellow hikers. Not everyone climbed Mt Ngauruhoe or Mt Doom (Lord of the Rings movies). I could actually see Mt Taranaki in the distance, just as I could spot the volcanoes of the central plateau a few days ago vice versa.
Taupo is a nice place to stay, another look at the Huka Falls, a visit to the Craters of the Moon and a little museum with displays of early exploration and tourism. And it was interesting to see all the places that Jules Verne describes so vividly in his book "In Search of the Castaways", quite some adventure at that time, if you can take Jules Verne by his word...
Another nice road through farm land and forests to Waitomo, where I will go under ground...