Mount Ngāuruhoe (also spelled Ngauruhoe; Māori: ''Ngāuruhoe'') is a volcanic cone in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is the youngest vent in the
Tongariro
Mount Tongariro (; ) is a compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of th ...
stratovolcano complex on the
Central Plateau of the
North Island and first erupted about 2,500 years ago. Although often regarded as a separate mountain, geologically, it is a secondary cone of Mount Tongariro.
The volcano lies between the active volcanoes of Mount Tongariro to the north and
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongari ...
to the south, to the west of the
Rangipo Desert
Te Onetapu, commonly known as the Rangipo Desert, is a barren desert-like environment in New Zealand, located in the Ruapehu District on the North Island Volcanic Plateau; to the east of the three active peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe ...
and 25 kilometres to the south of the southern shore of
Lake Taupō
Lake Taupō (also spelled Taupo; mi, Taupō-nui-a-Tia or ) is a large crater lake in New Zealand's North Island, located in the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The lake is the namesake of the town of Taupō, which sits on a bay in the lake's no ...
.
Etymology
The local Māori traditions state that the volcano was named by
Ngātoro-i-rangi, an ancestor of the local Māori
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, ...
,
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
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 ( Tarawera River) at Matatā across the central plateau of the North Is ...
. Ngātoro-i-rangi called volcanic fire from his homeland
Hawaiki
In Polynesian mythology, (also rendered as in Cook Islands Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in many Māori stories. ...
, which eventually emerged at Ngāuruhoe.
The name given by Ngātoro-i-rangi (Ngāuruhoe) either commemorates his slave, who had died from the cold before the fire arrived,
or refers to the insertions (''ngā uru'') of Ngātoro-i-rangi's ''hoe'' (paddle-like staff) into the ground during his summoning of the volcanic fire.
Recent activity
![Mount Ngauruhoe in eruption, 1909 (21041945793)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Mount_Ngauruhoe_in_eruption%2C_1909_%2821041945793%29.jpg)
Ngāuruhoe erupted 45 times in the 20th century, most recently in 1977.
[ ]Fumarole
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
s exist inside the inner crater and on the rim of the eastern, outer crater. Climbers who suffer from asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
may be affected by the strong sulphurous gases emitted from the crater.
A significant increase in earthquake activity in May 2006 prompted the alert level to be raised from zero (typical background activity, no signs of significant unrest) to one (signs of volcano unrest). Over the next two years GeoNet recorded an average of 5 to 30 earthquakes a day close to Ngāuruhoe, though the maximum daily number was as high as 80.
After mid-2008, the number of volcanic earthquakes close to Ngāuruhoe declined to the background level. Regular measurements of volcanic gas levels and the temperature of a summit gas vent failed to record any significant changes over the subsequent two and a half years.
GNS Science accordingly reduced the alert level for Ngāuruhoe to Level 0 on 2 December 2008. “The reduction in earthquake activity means that an eruption in the near future is unlikely without further earthquakes or other changes and the appropriate alert level is therefore zero”, said GNS Science Volcano Section Manager Gill Jolly.
An increase in seismic activity in March 2015 resulted in the alert level being raised to Level 1. The anomalous activity was deemed to have subsided after three weeks, and the alert level was lowered back to Level 0.
Despite these potential indicators, some geologists speculate that activity may have permanently shifted away from the mountain, as the current dormancy is by far the longest in the volcano’s relatively short history, and recent eruptions from the parent Tongariro volcanic complex have all been further north.
Climbing
The mountain is usually climbed from the western side, from the Mangatepopo track. In summer the climb is difficult due to the loose tephra
Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism.
Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they re ...
that gives way underfoot. In the summer of 2010 a climber was seriously injured by falling rock. In winter, snow consolidates the tephra. After rain, the snow may be covered by ice which is treacherous. Ice axes, crampons and ropes are recommended in midwinter. Between March and October the mountain is subject to sudden violent wind gusts and snow storms with the temperature dropping well below freezing.
There is also a route from the northern side which cuts across the lava flows in the Mangatepopo valley from the Mangatepopo hut. This route is far longer with no flat areas. On reaching the summit, climbers can circumnavigate the crater and descend the normal eastern route.
During the closure of the central part of the Mt. Tongariro one day walk, due to volcanic activity, climbing Mt. Ngāuruhoe became a popular alternative. At Easter 2013 four climbers were injured in separate incidents. Two of the accidents were due to congestion on the normal eastern route to the crater when a climber caused loose rock to hit another climber below. All the injured had to be rescued by helicopter.
The Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
has asked trampers not to climb the mountain, out of respect for its tapu (sacred) nature.
Film appearances
In 1974, as part of a promotional campaign for his sponsor Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon (), also known simply as Moët, is a French fine winery and co-owner of the luxury goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. Moët et Chandon is one of the world's largest champagne producers and a prominent champa ...
, champion skier Jean-Claude Killy
Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most su ...
was filmed skiing down the previously unskied eastern slope of the mountain. The average slope on this side of the volcano is 35 degrees, and Killy was caught on radar skiing more than 100 miles per hour. As he fell on the first run, he did the descent twice. He used helicopters to access the mountain top when the last eruption had been the day before and an eruption occurred at the end of his final run
Mount Ngāuruhoe was used as a stand-in for the fictional Mount Doom
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to ...
in Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, achieving worldwide exposure.[{{cite news , url=http://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Volcanoes/New-Zealand-Volcanoes/Ngauruhoe , title=Ngauruhoe , author=GNS Science , author-link=GNS Science , date=25 March 2015]
Climbing history
The first recorded ascent by a European was by J. C. Bidwill in March 1839, the ascent being from the north-west. He reported that “The crater was the most terrific abyss I ever looked into or imagined … it was not possible to see above 10 yards into it from the quantity of steam which it was continually discharging”.
{{wide image, Tongariro02.jpg, 1000px, Panorama of Mount Ngāuruhoe and surroundings as seen from Mount Tongariro
Mount Tongariro (; ) is a compound volcano in the Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the southwest of Lake Taupō, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of th ...
, with Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongari ...
in the background.
See also
* List of volcanoes in New Zealand
This is a partial list of active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes in New Zealand.
Kermadec Arc and Havre Trough
North Island
Taupō Volcanic Zone
Elsewhere
Mangakino Culdera
South Island
Other
Ross Dependency
New Zealand a ...
* List of mountains of New Zealand by height
The following are lists of mountains in New Zealand ordered by height. Names, heights, topographic prominence and isolation, and coordinates were extracted from the official Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) Topo50 topographic maps at thin ...
* Volcanism in New Zealand
The 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.
While the land's volcanism dates back to before the Zealandia microcontinent ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
{{commons+cat, Mount Ngauruhoe
Official NZ Reports
Volcano camera
Department of Conservation Tongariro National Park
New Zealand Topo Online
{{Tolkien tourism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngauruhoe, Mount
Active volcanoes
Mountains of Waikato
Tongariro Volcanic Centre
Stratovolcanoes of New Zealand
Mount Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngāuruhoe (also spelled Ngauruhoe; Māori: ''Ngāuruhoe'') is a volcanic cone in New Zealand. It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro stratovolcano complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island and first erupted about 2,500 y ...