Mount Tongariro
Encyclopedia
Mount Tongariro is a volcanic complex
in the North Island
of New Zealand
. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo
, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island.
The volcanic massif, often simply referred to as Tongariro, has a height of 1978 metres (6,490 ft). It first erupted about 260,000 years ago. The volcano consists of at least 12 cones; Ngauruhoe
, while often regarded as a separate mountain, is geologically a vent of Tongariro. It is also the most active, having erupted more than 70 times since 1839, although the last eruption took place in 1974-1975. Activity has also been recorded at other vents. Red Crater last erupted ash
in 1926 and contains active fumarole
s. There are many explosion craters on the massif; water has filled some of these to form the Blue Lake and the Emerald Lakes.
Mount Tongariro is in the Tongariro National Park
, New Zealand's first national park and one of the earliest in the world. It was set aside (literally "made sacred") in 1887 by Te Heuheu Tukino IV
(Horonuku), paramount chief of the Māori Ngati Tuwharetoa
iwi
and made a national park in order to preserve its natural beauty. The park also includes the peaks of Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu
, both of which lie to the southwest of Tongariro. The national park is a dual World Heritage Site
for its outstanding natural and intangible cultural values.
The popular hiking
route called Tongariro Alpine Crossing passes between Tongariro and Ngauruhoe.
Mount Tongariro and its surroundings are also one of the several locations which Peter Jackson
chose to shoot the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
.
Complex volcano
A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano, is a volcano with more than one feature. They form because changes of their eruptive characteristics or the location of multiple vents in an area...
in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island.
The volcanic massif, often simply referred to as Tongariro, has a height of 1978 metres (6,490 ft). It first erupted about 260,000 years ago. The volcano consists of at least 12 cones; Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano or composite cone in New Zealand, made from layers of lava and tephra. It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago...
, while often regarded as a separate mountain, is geologically a vent of Tongariro. It is also the most active, having erupted more than 70 times since 1839, although the last eruption took place in 1974-1975. Activity has also been recorded at other vents. Red Crater last erupted ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
in 1926 and contains active fumarole
Fumarole
A fumarole is an opening in a planet's crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The steam is created when superheated water turns to steam as its pressure drops when it emerges from...
s. There are many explosion craters on the massif; water has filled some of these to form the Blue Lake and the Emerald Lakes.
Mount Tongariro is in the Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
, New Zealand's first national park and one of the earliest in the world. It was set aside (literally "made sacred") in 1887 by Te Heuheu Tukino IV
Te Heuheu Tukino IV
Te Heuheu Tukino IV was paramount chief of the Ngāti Tuwharetoa, a Māori tribe of the central North Island of New Zealand. His birth name was Pataatai but he assumed the name Horonuku - meaning landslide - after the death of his parents in a landslide in 1846...
(Horonuku), paramount chief of the Māori Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matata across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo.The iwi is identified...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
and made a national park in order to preserve its natural beauty. The park also includes the peaks of Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
, both of which lie to the southwest of Tongariro. The national park is a dual World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
for its outstanding natural and intangible cultural values.
The popular hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
route called Tongariro Alpine Crossing passes between Tongariro and Ngauruhoe.
Mount Tongariro and its surroundings are also one of the several locations which Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
chose to shoot the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
.
See also
- List of volcanoes in New Zealand
- List of mountains of New Zealand by height
- Volcanism in New ZealandVolcanism in New ZealandThe volcanism of New Zealand has been responsible for many of the country's geographical features, especially in the North Island and the country's outlying islands...