(NZ) Mount Ruapehu

One of the big things (for me) I was hoping for with this trip was some good photos of Mount Ruapehu - a mountain I have a sort-of spiritual connection with.
I got my wish, and in fact got closer to the summit than I had been before (we managed to get a scenic flight over the Central Plateau from Taupo - photo's from this to come
).
As a taster before I get really stuck into processing (which I'll try and do in some sort of order rather than randomly), here's a view from the Desert Road...
EDIT: Changed link to show bigger size - click on pic for original
I got my wish, and in fact got closer to the summit than I had been before (we managed to get a scenic flight over the Central Plateau from Taupo - photo's from this to come

As a taster before I get really stuck into processing (which I'll try and do in some sort of order rather than randomly), here's a view from the Desert Road...

EDIT: Changed link to show bigger size - click on pic for original