World's Most Beautiful Mountains
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Mount Ngauruhoe, New Zealand |
Fans of the "Lord of the Rings" movies will recognize New Zealand’s Mount Ngauruhoe as the stand-in for Mount Doom. In real life, the mountain isn’t so ominous; it’s part of a beautiful North Island hiking route with views of Lake Taupo and Mount Tongariro. The volcano is still active — it last erupted in 1977 — and visitors to the summit can see fumaroles in the crater and smell strong sulfurous gases.