Tongaririo blows

I was on Mt Ruapehu over a decade ago when it erupted. We had just finished skiing and were in the carpark and started taking photos of the lahars flowing from the crater and the mushroom cloud emerging like a bomb had gone off.

After a few minutes of photo taking, someone suggested wouldn’t it be a better idea to take the photos of the eruption after we got off the mountain, and we quickly concurred and headed down the mountain road.

An awesome sight, seeing nature let loose.

Stuff reports:

Volcanic activity at Mt Tongariro could continue for weeks, months or even years after Tongariro rumbled to life after being dormant for more than 100 years last night.

Last night’s eruption was a total surprise, so “we have to expect the unexpected”, GNS volcanologist Michael Rosenberg said.

The mountain erupted at 11.50pm, sending ash across roads and prompting a potential threat warning for central North Island regions.

The eruption threw rocks and spewed ash from the Te Mari craters, near Ketetahi hot springs, on the northern side of the mountain, GNS Science said.

Flights have been affected and some roads closed.

There were five reported eruptions from the Te Mari craters between 1855 and 1897 but they had been dormant until now, the GeoNet website said.

Heh, how long until someone claims this is a sign that God is against same sex marriage 🙂

Good that no one was injured or killed. It will be interesting to see how long the activity lasts for.