I should explain further about the location of the volcano.
South of where we live in the Bay of Plenty, about four hours drive away is the area of New Zealand called the volcanic plateau. A large part of this area is the Tongariro National Park, an area of great beauty. It is a popular area for outdoor recreational sports - there are two major ski fields, and numerous tramping tracks.
It contains three active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe have erupted a few times in my lifetime, and now Tongariro is having her outburst. When there is an eruption the ash drifts around the country causing major disruption to road and air travel. It is a health hazard also as it consists of fine metallic shards and is dangerous to inhale. When it lands on cars it has to be very carefully washed off to prevent damaging the paintwork. Thankfully we live too far away to experience boulders etc landing around us!
The photo shows Tongariro on the left and Ngauruhoe on the right. Ngauruhoe is a cone shape and Tongariro is lower but with several 'hot spots' and small cones.
We are on the coast in Tauranga (Bay of Plenty). At the moment the prevailing winds are taking the ash over to Napier and the Hawkes Bay region.
1 comment:
Thanks Merinz, That gives me a better idea of where it is. i remember the area from when we were thinking of emigrating.
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