Finding Mount Doom and Emyn Muil at Whakapapa Ski Area

(Plus Meads Wall)

A Long-Awaited Return to Mount Ruapehu

One of our “must-revisit” places on New Zealand’s North Island was the Whakapapa ski area on Mount Ruapehu, located in Tongariro National Park.

The main reason? This area was used for several Lord of the Rings scenes (listed further down in this post), and the volcanic landscape—just a stone’s throw from a major ski centre—is simply awe-inspiring. We first drove up here in 2005, and we were 100% certain we’d return again in 2025.

Driving into Middle-earth

The weather changed constantly as we drove the Forgotten World Highway that morning. By the time we approached the turnoff from State Highway 47 and began the ascent to Whakapapa ski resort, it felt more like driving through the Dead Marshes than modern New Zealand.

We passed the imposing Château Tongariro—sadly badly damaged by wildfires in late 2025—and continued upwards into the awe-inspiring lava flows until we reached the ski centre car park. The rain was relentless, the fog incredibly thick, and we were the only living souls in the entire area.

The ski lifts were closed—no point heading up when the fog was more like porridge than clouds.

Waiting Out the Storm

Our goal wasn’t the summit anyway, but Meads Wall, clearly visible from the car park.

So we stayed put, sitting in the car for about 30 minutes, laughing at the rain and enjoying our second breakfast—or was it elevenses? Perhaps even luncheon. Either way, patience paid off. We watched several cars arrive, hesitate, and turn around, while we feasted comfortably in our rented wagon.

Eventually, the rain stopped.

Walking into Mordor

We layered up and set off, walking beneath the lift station and up the track toward Meads Wall.

The landscape looked as if the armies of Mordor had decided to build a leisure ski resort: black and brown lava fields dotted with ski huts, and in the background, the Mount Doom ski lift rising into the mist.

We first walked up along the right side of the massive wall. This is the exact location where Frodo and Sam struggle upward toward Mount Doom, exhausted and desperate.

Emyn Muil Revealed

If you continue around to the back side of Meads Wall and walk toward its northern end, you’re rewarded with a stunning view of the wall in all its glory—and a fantastic panorama of the valley below.

Down there runs a very recognisable stream, used in one of the opening scenes of The Two Towers, where Frodo and Sam wander lost through the stone maze of Emyn Muil, not long before encountering Gollum.

The entire area feels profoundly otherworldly, and it’s easy to understand why this bleak, volcanic terrain was chosen as the cinematic stand-in for Mount Doom. This is a world far, far away from Hobbiton (more on that later).

Lord of the Rings Filming Locations at Whakapapa

The Whakapapa ski area and surrounding volcanic terrain doubled for:

Mordor Emyn Muil (the jagged rocks Frodo and Sam cross after leaving the Fellowship) The slopes of Mount Doom

Scenes include:

Frodo, Sam, and Gollum traveling through Emyn Muil Wide shots of Mordor’s wastelands

🎬 Scenes Filmed in the Whakapapa Area

1. Emyn Muil (The Two Towers)

Jagged rocks after the Fellowship breaks:

Frodo and Sam scrambling over sharp, broken stone Gollum secretly tracking them Gollum captured by Frodo Wide shots of endless, hostile rock formations

👉 The rough lava flows around Ruapehu perfectly matched Tolkien’s description of Emyn Muil.