Where Is Mt Ruapehu?
At 2797 meters Mt Ruapehu is an active volcano and also the highest point in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated forty kilometres to the south-west of Lake Taupo’s southern shoreline and the town of Ohakune is twenty kilometres to its south-west. The mountain is part of the Taupo Volcanic zone and lies within the boundaries of the Tongariro National Park. An eruption in 1953 caused a lahar to undermine an already unstable railway bridge nearby; the collapse of the bridge caused a hundred and fifty one people to die. The incident is known as the “Tangiwai Disaster”. The area around Mt Ruapehu is now a popular winter ski resort. It is the only one of its kind on the Northern Island of New Zealand. The volcano has erupted as recently as 2006.
