The Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand is not for the faint-hearted but what spectacular and unusual landscapes. It doesn’t only resemble Mordor–Peter Jackson used it as the location shoot for Mount Doom in the Return of the King, the last of the Lord of the Rings films.
El Questro Station (station is Strayan for huge cattle ranch with wild cows roaming a property the size of Oklahoma). We’d book a campsite creekside but two weeks ago a wee Saltie moved in Only a 7-footer but up went the No Swimming signs. Everyone here is discussing next travel stops as early rains have the campgrounds and parks and gas stations closing. The single roadhouse with diesel on some 200 mile dirt track (Gibb River Road) is on Wet season hours (2 hours a day; not on Sundays).
Change of plans. Heavy rains last night, so do we want to be the first ones to drive this bit this morning? The downside of starting our days at 5, but there are other hikes to welcome us. Near El Questro Station in Western Australia.
Norway has a fantastic system of trails for hut-to-hut hiking. We got there in 2018. Record heat and drought made for great hiking, but not so good for the locals.