83-561: Ruapehu may refer to: Mount Ruapehu , an active volcano, the highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand Ruapehu District , the local government area that covers much land generally west and south of Mount Ruapehu, mostly in the headwaters of the Whanganui River SS Ruapehu , a 340-passenger steam ship, built in 1901 and wrecked in 1930. Its main route
166-601: A basement of Mesozoic greywacke overlain by a thin layer of sediments of the Wanganui Basin , composed of sands, silts, shell beds, and limestone . It has not been clearly established when Ruapehu first began erupting, only that eruptions began at least 250,000 years ago and possibly as early as 340,000 years ago. Ruapehu has been built in four distinct stages of relatively intense eruptive activity followed by periods of relative quiet. Each of these four stages of activity has left behind distinct rock formations, named
249-604: A 22-year-old primary school teacher, had a leg pinned and crushed by a boulder as the water subsided. A rescue operation was mounted after his companion, who was unable to free him, went down the mountain for help. The eruption initiated lahars down the Whangaehu valley and the Whakapapa skifield . ERLAWS detected the lahars in the Whangaehu valley. A snow groomer on the Whakapapa skifield narrowly avoided being caught in
332-553: A club Tukino field on the east of the mountain. The commercial developments have not been a consistent success, with at least two business failures by 2023. While as of 2001, Mount Ruapehu had the largest total ski area in New Zealand, developments in the South Island may see by 2025 the establishment there of the largest single commercial ski area in New Zealand. A 60-year concession for commercial ski field operation
415-431: A crater wall collapse and alert the relevant authorities. It began operating in 2002. The lake gradually filled with snowmelt and had reached the level of the hard rock rim by January 2005. The lahar finally occurred on 18 March 2007 (see below). Ruapehu erupted at 10:24 p.m. on 4 October 2006. The small eruption was marked by a magnitude 2.9 volcanic earthquake and sent waves 4–5 m (16 ft) tall crashing into
498-408: A few minutes made the access road too dangerous to descend. They spent the night in relative comfort and all descended safely the next morning. Such rapidly changing conditions are typical of the weather on New Zealand mountains. Again on Saturday July 26, 2008, skiers and staff were trapped on the mountain overnight when a fast approaching storm caused the skifield to be closed at 10:30 am and made
581-590: A significant hazard to surrounding river valleys, particularly the Whangaehu River, which is crossed by national highways, the North Island Main Trunk railway line, and electricity transmission lines. Large, destructive lahars have been observed in the Whangaehu River in 1862, 1895, 1953, 1975, and 2007. GNS Science continuously monitors Ruapehu using a network of seismographs, GPS stations, microphones and webcams. Chemical analysis of
664-494: A week-long storm while undergoing winter survival training in 1990. The same storm also trapped an experienced Japanese mountaineer when the weather unexpectedly closed in on him, but he built a snow cave and sheltered in it until he was rescued days later. Extreme weather conditions have caused visitors to be trapped on the mountain in the past. In 2003, about 350 visitors to Whakapapa skifield and 70 staff had to stay overnight in various lodges at Iwikau village (small village at
747-499: Is a feature of Whakapapa village . The first people to ski the slopes of Ruapehu were Bill Mead and Bernard Drake who purchased a pair of skis from Europe in 1913 and later formed the Ruapehu Ski Club. Bill Salt, Mead, Drake and others helped to then build the first hut on the skifield in 1923, a small corrugated iron shack which still stands to this day. Skiing slowly progressed on the skifield, hindered by World War 2 with
830-403: Is a large beginner's area at Whakapapa separated from the rest of the skifield in its own little valley and is considered one of the best in the country. The area has a cafe and ski hire facility, there is also a double chair lift, and 4 magic carpet lifts including a dedicated snow sledding area. Access to Happy Valley is by way of two glass-enclosed 26 person elevators which travel 22m down into
913-623: Is considerably cooler year-round with an average annual temperature of 5.5 °C. Maximum temperatures vary from 16.6 °C in February to 3.6 °C in July. Minimum temperatures range from 5.2 °C in February to -3.1 °C in July. The climate is classified as Cfc, or sub-polar oceanic. The driest month is February, with 196 mm of precipitation, and the wettest month is July, with 399 mm of precipitation. Annually, 3733 mm of precipitation falls on Iwikau. Across from Happy Valley
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#1732771917887996-570: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu ( Māori: [ˈɾʉaˌpɛhʉ] ; English / ˈ r uː ə ˌ p eɪ h uː / ) 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
1079-494: Is one of three skifields on the mountain, the others being Turoa , which is on Ruapehu's south-western slopes and Tukino on the eastern slopes. The ski season is generally from late June to late October, depending on snow and weather conditions. The terrain at Whakapapa Skifield is divided up as 25% beginner, 50% intermediate and 25% advanced. Access to the skifield is by Bruce Road, a two-lane, 6 km (3.7-mile) sealed road. Limited accommodation and refreshments are available at
1162-746: Is situated at the southern end of the Summit Plateau, and as the name suggests, is filled with a warm, acidic lake. The lake's outlet is at the head of the Whangaehu Valley, where the Whangaehu River arises. The Whangaehu River is notorious for destructive lahars caused by Ruapehu's eruptions. In historic times, eruptions have built tephra dams across the outlet on several occasions, most recently in 1945 and 1996. These dams failed in 1953 and 2007 respectively, causing an outburst of Crater Lake each time, which sent destructive lahars down
1245-414: Is the largest and southernmost volcano in the national park, with an estimated volume of 110 km . The volcano is surrounded by a ring plain of volcanic material, made from lahar deposits, ash fall, and landslide debris. There are three access routes to Ruapehu, and each access route leads to one of the three skifields that are found on its slopes. State Highway 48 leads to Whakapapa Village at
1328-587: The COVID-19 pandemic . Efforts to secure additional funds from investors or the New Zealand government initially failed. However, in December 2022, the government provided a $ 6 million loan to Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, to help ensure that both Ruapehu skifields could operate in winter 2023. This was in addition to $ 15 million provided in 2018 from the Provincial Growth Fund. In mid-March 2024,
1411-504: The Rangipo Desert to the east of Ruapehu receives slightly more than 1,500 mm of rain annually. Snow falls on average as low as 1,500 m elevation. Weather conditions can be changeable over the day, and mountain visitors are advised to be prepared and carry basic survival equipment. Severe weather has claimed several lives over the years, including a party of five NZ Army soldiers and one RNZN naval rating, caught in
1494-551: The Waikato River , which arises as a series of streams on Ruapehu's eastern slopes. On the western side of the mountain, many of the streams that arise there, such as the Whakapapa and Manganui o te Ao rivers, feed the Whanganui River . Ruapehu's glaciers are situated at the northern limit for the formation of permanent ice in New Zealand, and thus they are extremely sensitive to changes in climate. Surveys of
1577-643: The 1945 eruptions collapsed on 24 December 1953, sending a lahar down the Whangaehu River and causing the Tangiwai disaster . 151 people died when the lahar swept away the Tangiwai railway bridge just before an express train crossed it. Another dam was deposited by the 1995–1996 eruptions, which collapsed on 18 March 2007. A warning system, the Eastern Ruapehu Lahar Alarm and Warning System (ERLAWS) system began operation on
1660-617: The 70s many of the rope tows were phased out for more comfortable poma lifts and eventually more chairlifts in the late 70s. The top half of the No.2 Chairlift was moved to run from the base of the Rockgarden, west to the Downhill Ski Club and a two seater chair replaced the Rockgarden single chair. The late 70s and early 80s signalled a period of fast growth for the ski area with snow groomers purchased in 1977, A double chairlift up
1743-518: The Government agreed to a final NZ$ 7 million bail out of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts to allow the 2024 ski season to proceed at Whakapapa. In addition, the Government agreed to provide NZ$ 3.05 million in equity and loan funding to enable the sale of the adjacent Tūroa skifield . Ruapehu accommodation and ski-hire business owner Sam Clarkson criticised the bailout as wasteful, stating that the company lacked people who knew how to run skifields. Happy Valley
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#17327719178871826-584: The No.2 T-Bar moved up the mountain to become the current Far West T-Bar and the first snowmaking system installed in Happy Valley in 1990. In 1995, skiers were evacuated from the skifield when a small volcanic eruption occurred at the crater lake, ejecting rocks, ash and steam. In 2002 the snowmaking was expanded to cover the Rockgarden and in 2005 a pump station was built under the Waterfall Express lower terminal to facilitate snowmaking all
1909-806: The Taupō Hatepe eruption in 232 CE. Over this period there are 30 assigned tephra units by composition studies to Ruapehu and in the 370 years before 1950 the mean time between these months of eruptive period was 40 years. In recorded history, these eruptions have occurred about 50 years apart, in 1895 ( lahar ), 1945 and 1995–1996. Minor phreatic or hydrothermal eruptions occur every few years on average, with notable minor eruptions occurring in 1969, 1975, and 2007. More than 600 eruptive events of various sizes have been documented since 1830. Ruapehu entered an eruptive phase in March 1945 after several weeks of volcanic tremors. The first indication of an eruption
1992-717: The Te Herenga Formation (erupted 250,000–180,000 years ago), the Wahianoa Formation (erupted 160,000–115,000 years ago), the Mangawhero Formation (erupted 55,000–15,000 years ago), and the Whakapapa Formation (erupted 15,000–2,000 years ago). Each of these rock formations is composed of lava flows and tuff breccias , and studies of these formations has revealed how volcanic activity at Ruapehu has developed over time. During
2075-447: The Te Herenga Formation, and today these formations be seen at Pinnacle Ridge, Te Herenga Ridge, and Whakapapanui Valley, all on the northwestern slopes of Ruapehu. Approximately 160,000 years ago, cone-building eruptions began again, this time from a crater that is thought to have lain northwest of present-day Mitre Peak (Ringatoto)—southeast of the original Te Herenga vent. Eruptions continued until approximately 115,000 years ago, and
2158-489: The Te Herenga stage of activity, magma rose quickly through the crust during eruptions. However, by 160,000 years ago a complex network of magma dikes and sills had formed in the crust under the volcano, and lava erupted since that time shows signs of extensive mixing between different magma chambers prior to eruptions. In modern times, volcanic activity has been centred on Crater Lake. There are two active vents under
2241-849: The Tongariro Volcanic Centre. Volcanism at Ruapehu is caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Australian Plate at the Hikurangi Trough to the east of the North Island . Ruapehu has erupted from multiple craters over its lifetime, however, only one crater is presently active, a deep crater at the southern end of the summit plateau which is filled with hot, acidic water, dubbed Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe). The lake water currently covers separate north and central vents. Ruapehu sits on
2324-583: The aquatic life downstream. Additionally, the lahars damaged ski installations on the Whakapapa ski field, several bridges and hydroelectric tunnel intakes, but no loss of life occurred. Three days later, on the morning of 27 April, Ruapehu erupted again. A series of five eruptions occurred between 7:10 a.m. and 10:18 a.m., sending surges of mud, rocks, and ash northwards across the summit plateau and producing eruption columns up to 500 m high. The 1975 eruptions deepened Crater Lake from 55 to 60 m to more than 90 m. Earthquake swarms to
2407-559: The base of the mountain, and from there an access road leads up the mountain to Iwikau Village at the base of the Whakapapa skifield on the northwestern bumpy hilly slopes. An access road from Ohakune leads to Turoa skifield on the southwestern slopes, and a four-wheel drive track leads from the Desert Road ( State Highway 1 ) to the Tukino skifield on the eastern slopes. Ruapehu's active crater, dubbed Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe),
2490-640: The canyon. There is a new lift systems that has been proposed. The Knoll ridge Express will replace the Knoll Ridge T-Bar and possible the Valley T-Bar as well, starting from the top of the Rangatira Express and ending in a similar spot to where the Knoll Ridge T-Bar's top terminal is. If the plan goes ahead it will be a six seater with a top speed of 5 meters per second and the ability to transport 3,200 people per hour. A new gondola
2573-531: The company purchase the license from Haensli, installing the first chairlift in New Zealand in 1954. This chairlift was built by GMD Müller and was a single seater Diesel-Electric driven lift capable of taking 350 people an hour up to Hut Flat. Sir Edmund Hillary officially opened the chairlift on August 1, 1954. A year later the Staircase T-Bar extended up the Staircase slopes until it was removed in
Ruapehu - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-423: The crater, sent lahars down three valleys, and generated an eruption column 12 km high. Phreatomagmatic eruptions occurred through the rest of the month and throughout October, with some eruptions continuing for hours at a time. Ash fell up to 250 km downwind. Explosive eruptions on 11 October emptied Crater Lake of water. Following this, activity died off until 15 June 1996 when renewed seismic activity
2739-560: The deaths of livestock. Ash in the Tongariro River also damaged the intake turbines at the Rangipo power station, and ash clouds caused airport closures as far away as Auckland and Wellington . The eruptions also caused closures to the three ski fields on the mountain, costing the region an estimated $ 100 million in lost revenue. During the 1995–1996 summer period between the eruptions, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts ran its chairlifts up
2822-655: The early hours of 21 August was heard in Hawkes Bay and the Tararua District , loud enough to awaken people from sleep and cause alarm. Eruptions began declining in December and had ended by January. The eruptions dispersed ash across most of the North Island, and eruption columns could be seen from as far afield as Palmerston North , Whanganui , and Hawkes Bay . Ash caused disruption to several North Island communities, entering houses, causing eye and throat irritation, and damaging paintwork on cars. Crop damage
2905-447: The early hours of 22 June. It was a moderate phreatic eruption, which blasted rocks up to 1 km northwest of the crater and sent lahars down several valleys. The Whakapapa skifield was left covered in mud. This was the largest eruption since 1945. A larger phreatic eruption occurred at 3:59 a.m. on 24 April 1975, blasting rocks up to 1.6 km northwest of the crater, against the wind, and depositing ash more than 100 km to
2988-410: The entry to the skifield, and elsewhere on the mountain. Alpine huts are provided for trampers and climbers. Ruapehu's two skifields are collectively the largest ski resort in New Zealand. Turoa has a slightly longer season, generally opening a week before Whakapapa and closing early November. Both are operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts. Chateau Tongariro , which has appeared on several New Zealand stamps,
3071-416: The eruption lasted for less than a minute and blasted ash, mud, and rocks northward, reaching to about 2 km from Crater Lake. Two climbers were caught in the eruption at Dome Shelter, an alpine hut approximately 600 m from the crater, when the hut was struck by the surge. The climbers nearly drowned before the hut floor gave way and the water drained into the basement seismometer vault. One of them,
3154-467: The glaciers undertaken since 1955 have found that the glaciers have all been thinning and retreating, with the exception of the northern crater glacier, which thickened and lengthened after the 1953 outburst of Crater Lake lowered the lake water level. Ruapehu has a polar tundra climate ( Köppen : ET ) on the upper slopes, with average temperatures ranging from −4–15 °C in summer and −7–7 °C in winter, depending on elevation and cloudiness. On
3237-483: The ice on Ruapehu is contained in only three of its glaciers: the Whangaehu, Summit Plateau, and Mangatoetoenui glaciers. The Summit Plateau glacier is not a glacier in the true sense, but rather an ice field that fills an extinct volcanic crater, and the ice there reaches more than 130 m thick. The Whangaehu glacier feeds the Whangaehu River, and the Mangatoetoenui glacier is one of the principal sources of
3320-553: The lahar there. Only one eruptive event has been recorded at Ruapehu since the 2007 eruption—a minor event on 13 July 2009 when a small volcanic earthquake beneath Crater Lake caused the lake water level to rise 15 cm and triggered a snow slurry lahar in the upper Whangaehu valley. Since then, Crater Lake has continued its regular cycle of heating and increased gas emissions, although with periods of sustained high temperatures that occurred in 2011, 2016 and 2019. Eruptions at Ruapehu are expected to continue much as they have for
3403-647: The lake, dubbed North Vent and Central Vent. Activity is characterized by cyclic heating and cooling of the lake over periods of 6–12 months. Each heating cycle is marked by increased seismic activity under the crater and is accompanied by increased emission of volcanic gases , indicating that the vents under Crater Lake are open to gas escape. Evidence suggests that an open-vent system such as this has been in place throughout Ruapehu's 250,000 year history. This prevents build-up of pressure and results in relatively small, frequent eruptions (every 20–30 years on average) at Ruapehu compared to other andesitic volcanoes around
Ruapehu - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-682: The late 1990s. Following on from the success, the No.2 Chairlift was opened in May 1956 extending from Hut Flat to the top of Knoll Ridge. This lift was destroyed by an ice storm a week later due to the extreme build-up of rime ice - common in Ruapehu's maritime climate. Over the following years more ski companies opened up and Ski Enterprises Ltd opened a rope tow then a T-Bar on the National Downhill slopes while Happy Ski Valley Ltd commenced operations of rope tows going up Meads Wall. During
3569-399: The lava erupted during this period is known as the Wahianoa Formation. This formation has also been heavily eroded by glacial activity, and it now forms the southeastern flanks of modern Ruapehu. The formation consists of lava flows and tuff breccias . Beginning approximately 55,000 years ago, a third phase of cone-building eruptions began, creating the Mangawhero Formation. This formation
3652-505: The loop road. Many of these clubs have been around for over 50 years and have anywhere between 200-1000 members. The clubs often have either a custodian who is in charge of coordinating the lodge during the winter season and cooking meals, while others operate on a member system where they are in charge of cooking meals or providing personal food. Accommodation is provided in combined bunkroom style and on average 32 beds per club. Being more than 400 metres higher than Whakapapa Village, Iwikau
3735-508: The loss of 151 lives when the Tangiwai railway bridge across the Whangaehu River collapsed while the lahar was in full flood, just before an express train crossed it. Ruapehu saw a period of heightened activity between 1966 and 1982, with multiple small eruptions occurring in Crater Lake and two larger eruptions in 1969 and 1975, which ejected rocks across the summit region and produced significant lahars. The eruption in 1969 occurred in
3818-451: The lower slopes, Ruapehu has a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfc ). The prevalent wind direction in the region is westerly or northwesterly, and gale force conditions (i.e. wind speeds higher than 33 kn (61 km/h)) are common on the mountain. Rainfall is higher on the western flanks of Ruapehu than the eastern flanks due to the rain shadow effect. Whakapapa Village receives an average of 2,200 mm of rain per year, whereas
3901-465: The mountain and organised guided tours to within 500 metres of the crater. Hundreds of tourists visited, even though the volcano was still emitting steam and toxic sulphur gas and the Department of Conservation was warning that further eruptions were possible. Both the 1995 and 1996 eruptions were filmed and streamed to the internet via a custom-built 'volcano-cam', possibly the first such camera in
3984-554: The mountain in 2002 to detect such a collapse and alert the relevant authorities. The ERLAWS system detected the 2007 lahar, and roads were closed and railway traffic stopped until the lahar had subsided. The earliest known volcanic activity in Tongariro National Park was approximately 933,000 ± 46,000 years ago at Hauhungatahi , northwest of Ruapehu. Subsequently, andesitic clasts found 100 km southwest of Ruapehu, near Whanganui , demonstrate that volcanism
4067-421: The mountain was sacred, and said: "as far as we are concerned if these things [lahars] do happen well we step aside. Let them go past". Other plans considered were building a stop bank on the Desert Road, or creating an early-warning system, which would be much more expensive than digging a trench. In 2001, the Eastern Ruapehu Lahar Alarm and Warning System (ERLAWS) system was installed on the mountain to detect
4150-461: The mountain's high peaks as well as the Turoa skifield . Medium size tephra eruptions of Ruapehu since the 232 CE Taupo eruption Lava flows that have been erupted from Ruapehu since the last glacial maximum are called the Whakapapa Formation. These flows all erupted between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago from a number of different craters on the summit of Ruapehu as well as from craters on
4233-579: The northern and southern flanks of the mountain. Rangataua on the southern flanks had a large lava flow between 15,000 and 10,000 years ago. Approximately 10,000 years ago, a series of major eruptions occurred, not just on Ruapehu, but also at the Tama Lakes between Ruapehu and Tongariro volcanoes. This period of intense eruptions is called the Pahoka-Mangamate event and is thought to have lasted between 200 and 400 years. On Ruapehu, lava
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#17327719178874316-411: The northwestern ring plain that can still be seen today. Since then eruptions have been an order of magnitude lower in intensity and volume. Accordingly, most of the 150 km (36 cu mi) cone and 150 km (36 cu mi) ring-plain is older than 10,000 years. Eruptions between 10,000 and 2,500 years ago generated lava flows that all flowed into the Whakapapa amphitheatre and created
4399-707: The old chalet. In 2016 the Rangatira Express built by Leitner Poma replaced the Centennial and Rockgarden chairs and the second hand Delta Quad replaced the Waterfall T-Bar. In 2019, after a NZD $ 15m grant from the government Provincial Growth Fund the Sky Waka Gondola was built from the Top of the Bruce up to Knoll Ridge. In the process of doing this, the Waterfall Express which had begun to show its age
4482-419: The ones in 1995–96 have only occurred within periods of enhanced activity. The main recent volcanic hazard at Ruapehu is from lahars. Two major lahar paths run through the Whakapapa skifield, and in recent times, lahars have travelled through the ski field in 1969, 1975, 1995, and 2007. An eruption warning system operates in the ski field to warn skiers in the event of another eruption. Lahars also represent
4565-488: The past 2,000 years, with frequent minor eruptions and more significant events every 20–30 years, although the possibility of larger events like the Pahoka-Mangamate event cannot be ruled out. The previous activity trend until 10,000 years ago was about 7.5 km (1.8 cu mi) erupted each 10,000 years. Minor eruptions, such as the one in 2007, especially if they are hydrothermal, can occur at any time without warning. However, in historic times, major eruptions such as
4648-482: 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 . Ruapehu is located in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, 23 km (14 mi) northeast of Ohakune , New Zealand and 23 km (14 mi) southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō , within Tongariro National Park. Ruapehu
4731-422: The river. The 1953 lahar was the cause of the Tangiwai disaster , in which 151 people died. Even larger lahars occurred in 1862 and 1895. A total of 18 glaciers have been recognised on Ruapehu, of which six are named. Two glaciers are found in the active crater: one on the north side of the crater under Paretetaitonga Peak and another one to the south, and these are New Zealand's only crater glaciers. Most of
4814-476: The road expanded in the 1930s to accommodate more traffic. Some small rope tows were built before the first ski lifts, the first being installed in 1938 at Scoria Flat by the Tourist Department and a further 5-6 more over the following years. By 1951 skiing had become quite popular and Walter Haensli was granted a license to operate a ski lift at Whakapapa. In 1953 Ruapehu Alpine Lifts was formed and
4897-417: The road too dangerous for cars without chains or 4WD to leave the area. By 3pm there were still over 100 cars in the Whakapapa car park and those who had not been able to leave by that point were told to settle in for the night. All cars were able to leave safely the next morning. There are a total of 47 Ski Clubs located between the Top of the Bruce and Hut Flat, with the majority of them being located around
4980-412: The slopes of the modern skifield. For the past 2,000 years, activity at Ruapehu has been largely focused through a crater lake at the summit. Eruptive activity has typically consisted of relatively small but explosive phreatomagmatic eruptions occurring every few decades and lasting several months each. The eruptive record is only well understood from tephra deposits before 1950 for 1718 years from
5063-431: The southeast. Nine minutes of seismic activity preceded the eruption, but crater dilation had been measured two weeks earlier. Nearly half of the water in Crater Lake was erupted into the air, which subsequently rained down onto the summit, generating lahars down several river valleys. Lahars which travelled down the Whakapapa and Manganui o te Ao rivers entered the Whanganui River and poisoned it, which affected much of
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#17327719178875146-474: 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. 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
5229-622: The staircase slopes and the first T-Bar on the upper mountain. 1981, 1982 and 1983 saw the installation of the Te Heuheu Valley T-Bar, Knoll Ridge T-Bar and the National Downhill No.2 T-Bar and Double Chairlift. In 1987 the Staircase double chair was moved down to serve the Rockgarden slopes and New Zealand's first High Speed Detachable Quad was installed by Doppelmayr and named the Waterfall Express. The late 80s saw RAL purchase Happy Ski Valley and their license,
5312-423: The top of mountain road) after a snow storm made the road too dangerous to descend. In 2008 extreme weather resulted in about 2000 visitors being evacuated from Whakapapa skifield, with cars being led down the mountain in groups of five. About 100 cars were left at the skifield overnight. Ruapehu is a composite andesitic stratovolcano located at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and forming part of
5395-539: The wall of the crater. No ash was erupted into the atmosphere, and the eruption is presumed to have occurred entirely underwater. At 11:22 a.m. 18 March 2007, the tephra dam which had been holding back Crater Lake burst, sending a lahar down the mountain. An estimated 1.9–3.8 million cubic metres of mud, rock, and water travelled down the Whangaehu river. ERLAWS activated, sending an alarm to pagers at 11:25 a.m. and automatically activating warning lights and barrier arms to close roads and stop trains. There
5478-462: The walls of the crater and damaged some monitoring equipment there. A second eruption on 29 June destroyed the equipment and produced a lahar. Chemical analysis showed that magma was interacting with water under the lake. The first significant eruption took place at 8:05 a.m. on 18 September 1995, raining tephra onto the summit region and sending lahars down the mountain. On 23 September, an even larger eruption blasted rocks up to 1.5 km from
5561-467: The water in Crater Lake is regularly undertaken along with airborne gas measurements. Live data can be viewed on the GeoNet website . The mountain, as part of Tongariro National Park is host to a wide range of recreational activities. Since the first ski field developments in 1923, Ruapehu has had three ski areas developed, Whakapapa on the north-western side, Tūroa on the south western slopes, and
5644-470: The way up the staircase slopes to the base of the Waterfall T-Bar. On 13 February 2009 arson destroyed two buildings at the skifield: the main chalet and an implement shed containing three snow groomers. The damage was estimated at $ 11 to 12.5 million. The main chalet, the Knoll Ridge Cafe was replaced by a new, more modern, facility slightly lower down the mountain with less visual impact than
5727-528: The west of Ruapehu between November 1994 and September 1995 marked the beginning of renewed heightened activity at the volcano. Bursts of earthquake activity immediately preceded rapid rises in the temperature of Crater Lake, with the surface temperature reaching 51.4 °C in January 1995—one of the highest temperatures recorded in 30 years and about 10 °C higher than its usual peak temperature. A minor eruption occurred on 26 April, which sent waves against
5810-477: The world. Crater Lake is emptied by major eruptions, such as the ones in 1945 and 1995–1996, but refills after eruptions subside, fed by melting snow and vented steam. In historic times, major eruptions have deposited a tephra dam across the lake's outlet, preventing lake overflow into the Whangaehu valley. The dam collapses after several years causing a large lahar down the valley. The tephra dam created by
5893-477: The world. The website hosting the feed during the 1996 eruption received up to 4000 hits an hour. After the 1996 eruption it was recognised that a catastrophic lahar could again occur when Crater Lake burst the volcanic ash dam blocking the lake outlet as it did in 1953. In 1997, the government proposed digging a trench through the blockage in the wall of Crater Lake, but this was plan was opposed by conservation groups and Māori. A Ngāti Rangi spokesman noted that
5976-418: The years, including a party of soldiers undergoing winter survival training in 1990. The same storm also trapped a Japanese tourist when the weather unexpectedly closed in on him, but he built a snow cave and sheltered in it until he was rescued days later. On July 5, 2003, about 350 skiers and 70 skifield staff were trapped on the mountain overnight at Top o'the Bruce when a sudden snow storm blew up and within
6059-657: Was London to Auckland and Wellington and back; took the New Zealand Tunnelling Company into war Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Ruapehu . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruapehu&oldid=1023792113 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
6142-437: Was erupted from Saddle Cone—a flank crater on the northern slopes—and from another crater on the southern slopes. This southern crater erupted three times, and lava flows from this crater travelled nearly 14 km to the south. There is evidence that a sector collapse on the northwestern slopes about 9,400 years ago formed the amphitheatre that now comprises the Whakapapa skifield and left an extensive avalanche deposit on
6225-492: Was erupted onto the eroded Wahianoa Formation in two phases: the first occurring 55,000–45,000 years ago and the second 30,000–15,000 years ago. Multiple summit craters were active during this period, all lying between Tahurangi and the northern summit plateau. Parasitic eruptions also occurred at Pukeonake, a scoria cone to the north-west of Ruapehu and at several isolated craters near Ohakune . The Mangawhero Formation can be found over most of modern Ruapehu, and it forms most of
6308-454: Was granted to the then operator of the Whakapapa ski field, in 2015. After the operator went into receivership in 2023 a new operator has expressed interest in taking over the Whakapapa concession. From April 2024, Tūroa operated by Pure Tūroa Limited has a limited ten year concession. Whakapapa skifield Whakapapa skifield is a commercial skifield on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park , New Zealand. It
6391-504: Was installed for the 2019 season, called the Sky Waka, that can transport over 3000 people an hour from the base area at an elevation of 1630m to the Knoll Ridge Cafe at 2020m to provide access to the upper mountain. Weather conditions can be changeable over the day, and mountain visitors are advised to be prepared and carry basic survival equipment. Although severe weather is unusual and generally forecast, it has claimed several lives over
6474-505: Was likely present in the Ruapehu area 340,000 years ago. However, the oldest rocks on Ruapehu itself are approximately 250,000 years old. Eruptions during this period are believed to have built a steep volcanic cone around a central crater, which would have been located somewhere near the present-day upper Pinnacle Ridge. Cone-building eruptions ceased about 180,000 years ago, and the cone began to be eroded away by glacial action. Rock formations that date to this period are collectively named
6557-460: Was no serious damage and no injuries. A toilet block at the Tangiwai memorial was destroyed, but the memorial had already been closed due to the lahar threat. One family was trapped for around 24 hours after the lahar swept away the access route to their home. At 8:16 p.m. on 25 September 2007, volcanic tremor was detected underneath Ruapehu, which was followed at 8:26 p.m. by an explosive surtseyan eruption. The explosive phase of
6640-437: Was recorded. This was followed by eruptions on 17 and 18 June which once again emptied the partially refilled Crater Lake of water. Strombolian eruptions occurred on 27 June and throughout July and August, producing eruption columns more than 10 km high and shooting rocks 1.4 km from the crater. These eruptions produced more than 7 million tonnes of ash, which contaminated water supplies, destroyed crops, and lead to
6723-649: Was removed to make way from the new gondola, completing over 100,000 hours of run time in its 32 year lifespan. In 2022 following a poor snow season attributed largely to climate change , Ruapehu Alpine Lifts, the parent company of both Whakapapa and Turoa skifields, entered voluntary administration in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy . The company is a not-for-profit business that was established by members of ski clubs in 1953. In August 2022, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts laid off 130 workers and its total debt climbed to over NZ$ 30 million. The financial situation of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts deteriorated rapidly following disruptions from
6806-482: Was reported in Ohakune, and the water supply at Taumarunui was disrupted. After eruptions subsided in late December, Crater Lake slowly began refilling, with a "boiling lake" already filling the bottom of the crater by mid-January. A tephra dam had formed at the lake's normal outlet during the eruptions, which eventually collapsed on 24 December 1953 causing a lahar that led to the Tangiwai disaster with
6889-432: Was reported on 8 March, with ashfall seen on the eastern slopes. A lava dome was observed in Crater Lake on 19 March but was destroyed in a series of explosive eruptions over the following week. A second, larger lava dome appeared in May, which continued to grow over the following months and had emptied Crater Lake of water by July. Eruptions increased from August through November. A particularly powerful eruption in
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