NZ's Most Active Volcano

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NZ's Most Active Volcano
Photo Information
Copyright: Janice Dunn (Janice) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3337 W: 144 N: 5637] (16707)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-27
Categories: Mountain
Camera: Canon EOS 30d, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-04-29 3:01
Viewed: 502
Points: 14
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
North Island’s Highest Mountain

I was down the Central Plateau last weekend at a wedding at Ohakune, 366kms south of home. Ohakune at the base of Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand’s largest ski area of 1800 hectares of wide-open slopes.

Mount Ruapehu (rua “pit”, pehu “to explode”). Sacred to local Maori, it is enjoyed and explored all year round by hikers, skiers, snow boarders, botanists, geologists and nature lovers alike.

Ruapehu’s history began well before the last ice age. Its eight named glaciers are the only glaciers in the North Island. Mount Ruapehu’s sacred Crater Lake is only one of three in the world surrounded by ice and snow.

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.

It is the North Island's major skifields and only glaciers are on its slopes.

Ruapehu is one of the world's most active volcanoes and the largest active volcano in New Zealand.

It is the highest point in the North Island and includes three major peaks:
Tahurangi (2,797 m),
Te Heuheu (2,755 m) and
Paretetaitonga (2,751 m).

The deep, active crater is between the peaks and fills with a crater lake between major eruptions.

Mt Ruapehu’s majestic slopes accommodate New Zealand’s largest and most developed ski areas, Whakapapa and Turoa.

Being a live volcano, a risk of eruptions and lahars does exist, however risk management procedures including sophisticated early warning systems are in place. The last major eruption was in 1996 and the last lahar was in March 2007.

I had hope to see some snow, but there was only snow in some of the higher valleys on the top of the mountain.

We drove up the Ohakune Mountain Road to the Turoa Ski Field. It is one of the most picturesque drives in the country, taking in lowland forest, alpine beech forest, then windswept alpine shrub-lands and magnificent views of the surrounding countryside, as it rises through one thousand metres of Mt Ruapehu.
eng55, eqshannon, inked, Bass has marked this note useful
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To eng55: Welcome to TNJanice 1 04-29 03:24
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 335 W: 3 N: 370] (1093)
  • [2008-04-29 3:16]
  • [+]

Hi Janice,
It's charming place and beautiful photo.
Clouds on mountain are fantastic.Thanks
also for the useful note!

Oddly enough, before I posted my flight bird shot today, I had a similar landscape with clouds in the mountains...but because I could not identify any of my birds down to the very sub species, I ran with the Brewers and left aside the landscape which you, and my neighbor Silvio have filled in. A wonderful image and some superior information Janice.

The high stratus clouds if formed just a bit differently would be called earthquake clouds to some...but that is along story and the clouds around the mountain also have a special name which escapes me right now...but were seen hundreds of years ago as something other worldly...and indeed it is where the atmosphere hits the land...Very well done Janice...Thanks so much for the landscape image...though not for me, but from me!
Bob

Hi Janice,
A dramatic view of this volcano, unknown for me. I like clouds? that are stroking volcanos top. Nice image
Regards
Hernán

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 316 W: 88 N: 308] (1212)
  • [2008-05-01 1:09]

HI Janice,

Nice shot. Winter is getting closer and you have captured the sesaon. Love the cloud looks like the mountain is smoking.

Wow, Janice,
This must be so awesome to look at.And then we do have that lovely note of yours..Very interesting.
Thank you!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • inked Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 125 W: 0 N: 214] (634)
  • [2008-05-08 2:01]

Hi Janice,
great shot of this volcano.. one of my fave places to go snowboarding =) and also the subject of my first ever panorama many years back, from a cheap and nasty disposable camera. the clouds are in a really interesting formation, nice composition with nice radiant lighting. well done. brings back great memories! tfs
Gethin

  • Great 
  • Bass Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 97 W: 0 N: 116] (465)
  • [2008-05-14 17:16]

Hi Janice,
uou.. amazing volcano! good POV and details on the volcano.
maybe there isn´t too much light over the forest. Clouds, sky and volcano looks great, very shiny! Anyway, the idea of the pic was the volcano!!
great note also!!
TFS!!
have a nice day
Brenda

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