Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu (/ˈruːəˌpeɪhuː/; Māori: [ˈɾʉaˌpɛhʉ]) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is 23 km (14 mi) northeast of Ohakune and 23 km (14 mi) southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongariro National Park. The North Island's major ski resorts and only glaciers are on its slopes.
Mount Ruapehu
2,797 m (9,177 ft)
Ruapehu (Māori)
pit of noise or exploding pit[3]
~200,000 years[1]
25 September 2007
1879 by G. Beetham and J. P. Maxwell (non-indigenous)
Ruapehu, the largest active volcano in New Zealand, has the highest point in the North Island and has 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 water between major eruptions, being known as Crater Lake (Māori: Te Wai ā-moe). The name Ruapehu means "pit of noise" or "exploding pit" in Māori.[4]
In popular culture[edit]
Some scenes of the fictional Mordor and Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy were filmed on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu.[65]