Ruapehu is the highest mountain in the North Island, at 2,797 metres, and one of the most active volcanoes in New Zealand, and from the Desert Road it fills the western sky with a long white ridge and a dark, jagged crater rim. Its snow-covered flanks glow pink at dawn and dusk. It has three main peaks and a lake in its crater that is warm, acidic and, at times, very hot, and the volcano erupted violently in 1995 and 1996, throwing ash across the island. Alongside it, to the north, rise the more perfect cone of Ngāuruhoe, which stood in for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films, and the broken top of Tongariro.
For Māori the mountains are sacred, ancestors and guardians of the land. A legend tells that they were once warriors in a great battle for the love of a mountain called Pihanga, and that Taranaki, the loser, fled west to the sea. The area is a dual World Heritage Site, listed for both its natural and its cultural values. Today the slopes hold two big ski areas, Whakapapa and Turoa, which fill with skiers from June until October.
The view from the road is best when the weather is clear, which it often is not. Cloud sits on the mountain for days at a time, and the peak reveals itself only in short glimpses. When it does, the sight is worth a pause at a lay-by. On the ride itself, the road is smooth and gently curved, with long views over the plateau. Wind from the west can be strong, and the temperature can drop fast. Take warm gear and be prepared for snow in any season but midsummer.
A sad place lies not far to the south-west: Tangiwai, where on Christmas Eve 1953 a lahar from the crater lake swept away a railway bridge just before a night express arrived, and 151 people died. A memorial stands beside the road and a visit is sobering. The nearest fuel is at Waiouru, to the south, and Turangi, to the north, both small towns with services, so check your tank before you set off. Take food and a hot drink, and linger if the clouds part, for the mountain does not always oblige.