North Island Volcanic Plateau
Encyclopedia
The North Island Volcanic Plateau (often called the Central Plateau and occasionally the Waimarino Plateau) is a volcanic plateau
covering much of central North Island
of New Zealand
with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes.
Extensive ignimbrite
sheets spread east and west of the Taupo Volcanic Zone
centred around the huge dormant supervolcanic
caldera
Lake Taupo
, the largest lake in Australia or New Zealand, which last erupted 2000 years ago. The volcanic area includes the three active peaks of Mount Tongariro
, Mount Ngauruhoe
, and Mount Ruapehu
in the south, and extends beyond Rotorua
in the north reaching almost to the Bay of Plenty
coast. The western boundary of the plateau forms an escarpment beside the Mamaku
and Kaimai Ranges, but further south is less distinct. In the east, the plateau runs up to the foot of the Ahimanawa
, Kaweka
and the fertile Kaimanawa
mountain ranges. Finally, west of the plateau stands the volcano Mount Taranaki (in Egmont National Park
).
Two of the country's longest rivers, the Whanganui
and the Waikato
have their headwaters on the plateau.
cone that was once twice as high but has been eroded. All of the cones are composite stratovolcano
es made up of layers of lava and tephra
. They are in the intermediate category meaning they have a moderate amount of silica in the magma
. The percentage of silica is the deciding factor in the thickness or viscosity
of the lava. This contrasts with ignimbrite
which is a gas
-rich material ejected from the ground at high speed forming a giant white hot fountain 55kilometres high. When the ignimbrite falls it flows outwards at high speed (600-900 km/h) and can travel many kilometres even going up and over hills and mountains before it cools, trapping air inside. Especially around Lake Taupo
the eroded ignimbrite includes pieces of pumice
, a lightweight rock that floats on water. The top, unwelded layer of the ignimbrite sheet is relatively soft and easily eroded by streams and rivers which transport the pumice to the lake. The lower, welded layers of the ignimbrite sheets are more dense, though still porous. These lower compressed layers often show the glint of heated silicon
specks. This stone, called Hinuera stone(after the quarry of origin), is used for building cladding. The ring plain around the central volcanoes is formed from numerous lahar
s or mudflows that occur when either the crater lake
water is ejected from Ruapehu or snow is melted, during an eruption. The water runs down the mountain picking up ash
, lapilli
, blocks and bombs
as well as previously eroded rock forming a thick dense mud that is capable of picking up car sized rocks. An old lahar flow is visible from the approach road to Whakapapa
ski field. In December 1953 a sudden lahar at night on Mt Ruapehu knocked out the rail bridge at Tangiwai
causing three carriages of the Wellington-Auckland express to plunge into the Whangaehu River
killing many passengers.
The last major eruption in the area was the last eruption from the Lake Taupo volcanic complex 1800 years ago which ejected lava and especially wind blown tephra over a wide area to the north and north east of the North Island. About 30cubic kilometres of material were released making this the biggest volcanic event in the world in the last 5,000 years.
The entire area is above 300 metres, with a considerable proportion of it more than 800 metres above sea level. The plateau has a mild climate although the temperature regularly falls below freezing in winter and snow can fall between March and October.The period of maximum snow is July to September. Sudden blizzard conditions can be experienced on the volcanoes in winter. These blizzards have killed climbers as recently as the 1980s.The Desert Road on State Highway 1 is often closed by snow in winter for brief periods.
), miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea
), matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia
), totara (Podocarpus totara
) and kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
) and hardwoods that once covered this whole area before the eruption of Taupo and other volcanoes. To the west of the three large volcanoes, the land is rough forested hill country, while the north close to Lake Taupo is more fertile and undulating and much has been cleared for farming. The forest used to extend to the west coast and there are still patches of natural vegetation in wetlands including the Horowhenua floodplains.
However to the east of Taupo the barren, ash-laden soils and harsh alpine climate leave the high land largely bare and unprofitable, capable of growing only scrubby plants. This area is known as the Rangipo Desert
although it is not a true desert as the annual rainfall is over 1,000mm PA and the real reason for the low and sparse vegegation was the mass sterilization of seeds caused by the 20,000-year-old Taupo eruption, which swept white-hot ignimbrite through this valley. Prior to this cataclysmic event this area was forested and stumps of charcoalized trees can be seen where soil has eroded.
Around Taupo itself there are geothermal
areas with specialised plant life such as the prostrate kanuka (a subspecies of kunzea ericoides).
Further to the east of the plateau lies more rough hill country in the Kaimanawa Ranges, a popular hunting area for wild Red deer.The tops of the mountains are open and tussock covered.Helicopters and light aircraft can land on a rough air strip.Hunting range in the bush is often 50m or less but in the open tops the range can be much further. The area to the South,around Lake Moawhango
is richer in plant life. Finally there are areas of beech
forest and alpine vegetation at higher elevations throughout the region.
wattlebird (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni), New Zealand Kaka, and large populations of brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) and blue duck
(Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos). The area to the south of the plateau and down to Wellington
is home to a variety of lizards including Whitaker's skink
(Cyclodina whitakeri), forest gecko
(Hoplodactylus granulatus) and Wellington green gecko
(Naultinus elegens punctatus). Wetlands throughout the region support waterbirds and fish including the endemic brown mudfish.
and large areas of the uplands are protected either by Maori tradition or in national parks of which Te Urewera
is the largest. The four North Island national parks, which surround the plateau, are Te Urewera, Whanganui, Egmont and New Zealand's first national park, the World Heritage listed Tongariro National Park
. Introduced species and livestock grazing are now major threats to some endemic species. Rats, cats and stoats prey on native reptiles and birds (including the kokako, blue duck and brown kiwi), while imported plants such as Old Man’s Beard
and Banana passionfruit
and gorse
can take over from indigenous species. Finally grazing by goats and possums can eradicate others such as kamahi
, kaikawaka
(Libocedrus bidwillii) and montane totara
. Therefore smaller islands off the coast of Wellington have been used as a refuge for North Island birds and reptiles whose habitats may be threatened now or in the future.
Also the Volcanic Plateau region has the largest area of man made forest in the Southern Hemisphere. Nearly all the trees are Pinus radiata which were bought in for trials at Rotorua in 1899 from Kew Gardens,London. The tree, a native of Monterey, California
, grew very fast in the poor soils. Mass planting was initially carried out by prisoners in the 1920s and then by the unemployed on a large scale during the Great Depression
. After World War II scientists from Norway
settled in the region and helped develop ways of treating the soft pine to prevent rot
ting using pressure treatment with chemicals. They also introduced selective breeding
methods which was the standard way of improving the trees until tissue culture
was introduced in the 1990s. Trees take 25–30 years to reach full height. Most plantations use growth factor
(GF) trees to guarantee very high quality (straight and knot-free) timber, however treatment by chemical salts is still required to stop rotting.This is done bu either dipping or more usually, pressure treatment. New Zealand has pioneered the use of Radiata timber and plywood in small craft boatbuilding. Untreated clear timber or plywood is used that is then encapsulated in epoxy resin after construction. The key reason is the low cost of the wood rather than any inherent properies of the wood which is of moderate weight but fractures easily when bent, when dried to 12% moisture. One of the largest ply factories in New Zealand is located on the Volcanic Plateau at Tokoroa. Although planting by hand is still done on steeper land, most seedlings are now planted with the help of machines.
Urban areas in the region include the towns of Taihape
in the south, Ohakune
the carrot-growing capital of NZ in the west, and Taupo
in the north, with Turangi
a major trout fishing base at the south of Lake Taupo and by the Kaweka Ranges in the east, The majority of the population of the area lives close to the shores of Lake Taupo
, with some smaller settlements to the east of the volcanoes. These make their living largely through tourism
, including skiing
in the winter season, trout fishing, especially on the Tongariro river or by forestry in the plateau's northeast, which includes the Kaingaroa Forest
or by working on the extensive Hydro Electric power system.
. The tangata whenua are the Ngāti Tūwharetoa
. Their paramount chief is Tumu te Heuheu, who was knighted in 2009. They moved into this area after splitting away from the Arawa tribe on the east coast. The boundary between Arawa and Tuwharetoa is a small island 400 metres north of Huka Falls
on the Waikato River
. Their main marae is on the southern shores of Lake Taupo at Waihi near the Tokaanu geothermal area. They still retain ownership of the peaks of the mountains which are considered sacred, as well as the Ketetahi hot springs on the north slope of Mt Tongariro. The Māori people considered the volcanoes sacred and in traditional times wore woven flax eye shields to avoid looking at the peaks.
The Rangipo region is largely uninhabited. It is used by the New Zealand Army
, based at Waiouru
in the south, and by the Rangipo prison farm in the north and Rangipo underground HEP station to the east. During the 1960s The Tongariro power scheme redirected the flow of water from many of the streams and rivers that drain the central peaks. The water was channelled into canals, tunnels and storage lakes to provide water for 2 HEP stations at Rangipo and Tokaanu. The water then flowed into Lake Taupo increasing its input by 20%. Most of the Tongariro river flow is not included in the power scheme due to its importance as a breeding area for Brown and Rainbow trout. The extra water boosted the amount of water available to the 10 other HEP stations on the Waikato River which flows from the north end of the lake and is its only exit.
The productivity of pasture on the plateau was greatly improved in the 1950s once it was realised that the "bush sickness" suffered by local livestock was due to cobalt deficient volcanic soils. The cure for this was discovered by an Australia
n scientist in 1936 but the application of cobalt
at the rate of 30cc per Ha was only possible after World War II
making use of war surplus planes and ex WW2 pilots for aerial topdressing. The cobalt was mixed with crushed phosphate rock which was obtained cheaply from Nauru
Island in the West Pacific. The resulting mix was called Super Phosphate.
The site is close to Tangiwai, the scene of New Zealand's worst railway disaster on Christmas Eve, 1953 ,when 151 were killed when the rail bridge was destroyed by a lahar flow from Mt Ruapehu.
The largest farm in the North Island was established off the Taupo-Napier road and is called Lochinver Station. The station was largely developed by construction millionaire Bill Stephenson and his family using heavy earthmoving equipment in the 1960s and 1970s. The high country sheep and cattle station has several airstrips, 21 houses and 200km of roading. It normally carries 100,000 breeding ewes and about 8,000 cattle. It has extensive shelter belts of contorta pine, improved rye-grass pasture and grows crops of swedes and barley. The farm is open to tourist and school group bus tours.
The one day Tongariro Alpine Crossing from the Mangatepopo Valley across Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro is considered one of the greatest one-day walks in the world. The 19.2 km track is well marked and popular but trampers should be quite fit and well equipped as the route is exposed, especially during the winter months(April to September). There are two well equipped huts on the route. Detailed guidance is available from the Mt Ruapehu Visitors Centre. The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre is located on the site of an old construction camp. Started by mountaineer Graham Dingle in the 1970s, this centre offers valuable outdoor training experience and skills to secondary school groups and others. Train and engineering enthusiasts will enjoy the Raurimu Spiral - a railway masterpiece where the main trunk rail line spirals upwards 132m via a tunnel and 180 degree hair pin bends so the passengers near the head of the train can see the rear carraiges heading in the opposite direction. This was the last stage to be built in the main trunk railway line completeted in 1900. A YMCA, which used to be the local primary school, is located nearby for accommodation.
Volcanic plateau
A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus.-Lava plateau:...
covering much of central North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes.
Location and description
The plateau is approximately 100 km east-west and the north -south distance is about 130 km.Extensive ignimbrite
Ignimbrite
An ignimbrite is the deposit of a pyroclastic density current, or pyroclastic flow, a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
sheets spread east and west of the Taupo Volcanic Zone
Taupo Volcanic Zone
The Taupo Volcanic Zone is a highly active volcanic V shaped area in the North Island of New Zealand that is spreading east -west at the rate of about 8mm per year...
centred around the huge dormant supervolcanic
Supervolcano
A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers . This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is...
caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
, the largest lake in Australia or New Zealand, which last erupted 2000 years ago. The volcanic area includes the three active peaks of Mount Tongariro
Mount Tongariro
Mount Tongariro is a volcanic complex in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island....
, Mount Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano or composite cone in New Zealand, made from layers of lava and tephra. It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago...
, and Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu
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...
in the south, and extends beyond Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
in the north reaching almost to the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
coast. The western boundary of the plateau forms an escarpment beside the Mamaku
Mamaku Ranges
The Mamaku Ranges are a range of rugged hills in the North Island of New Zealand. Located to the west of Lake Rotorua and north of Lake Taupo, they lie to the immediate south of the Kaimai Range and can be thought of as an extension of it, in much the same way that the Kaimai Range can be...
and Kaimai Ranges, but further south is less distinct. In the east, the plateau runs up to the foot of the Ahimanawa
Ahimanawa Range
The Ahimanawa Range is a range of rugged hills in the northern Hawke's Bay region of the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It is located between Napier and Taupo....
, Kaweka
Kaweka Range
The Kaweka Range of mountains is located in inland Hawke's Bay in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the mountainous spine of the North Island which runs from Wellington to East Cape, including the Tararua and Ruahine ranges.The range lies between the city of Napier, to the...
and the fertile Kaimanawa
Kaimanawa Range
The Kaimanawa Range of mountains is located in the central North Island of New Zealand. They extend for 50 kilometres in a northeast/southwest direction through largely uninhabited country to the south of Lake Taupo, east of the "Desert Road"...
mountain ranges. Finally, west of the plateau stands the volcano Mount Taranaki (in Egmont National Park
Egmont National Park
Egmont National Park is located south of New Plymouth, close to the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the mountain which dominates its environs, which itself was named by Captain Cook after John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, the First Lord of the Admiralty who...
).
Two of the country's longest rivers, the Whanganui
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
and the Waikato
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
have their headwaters on the plateau.
Geology
The tallest mountain Ruapehu, is an AndesiteAndesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
cone that was once twice as high but has been eroded. All of the cones are composite stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
es made up of layers of lava and tephra
Tephra
200px|thumb|right|Tephra horizons in south-central [[Iceland]]. The thick and light coloured layer at center of the photo is [[rhyolitic]] tephra from [[Hekla]]....
. They are in the intermediate category meaning they have a moderate amount of silica in the magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
. The percentage of silica is the deciding factor in the thickness or viscosity
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
of the lava. This contrasts with ignimbrite
Ignimbrite
An ignimbrite is the deposit of a pyroclastic density current, or pyroclastic flow, a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
which is a gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
-rich material ejected from the ground at high speed forming a giant white hot fountain 55kilometres high. When the ignimbrite falls it flows outwards at high speed (600-900 km/h) and can travel many kilometres even going up and over hills and mountains before it cools, trapping air inside. Especially around Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
the eroded ignimbrite includes pieces of pumice
Pumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
, a lightweight rock that floats on water. The top, unwelded layer of the ignimbrite sheet is relatively soft and easily eroded by streams and rivers which transport the pumice to the lake. The lower, welded layers of the ignimbrite sheets are more dense, though still porous. These lower compressed layers often show the glint of heated silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
specks. This stone, called Hinuera stone(after the quarry of origin), is used for building cladding. The ring plain around the central volcanoes is formed from numerous lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...
s or mudflows that occur when either the crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
water is ejected from Ruapehu or snow is melted, during an eruption. The water runs down the mountain picking up ash
Volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of small tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions, less than in diameter. There are three mechanisms of volcanic ash formation: gas release under decompression causing magmatic eruptions; thermal contraction from chilling on contact...
, lapilli
Lapilli
Lapilli is a size classification term for tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption or during some meteorite impacts. Lapilli means "little stones" in Latin. They are in some senses similar to ooids or pisoids in calcareous sediments.By definition lapilli range...
, blocks and bombs
Volcanic bomb
A volcanic bomb is a mass of molten rock larger than 65 mm in diameter, formed when a volcano ejects viscous fragments of lava during an eruption. They cool into solid fragments before they reach the ground. Because volcanic bombs cool after they leave the volcano, they do not have grains...
as well as previously eroded rock forming a thick dense mud that is capable of picking up car sized rocks. An old lahar flow is visible from the approach road to Whakapapa
Whakapapa
Whakapapa , or genealogy, is a fundamental principle that permeates the whole of Māori culture. However, it is more than just a genealogical 'device'...
ski field. In December 1953 a sudden lahar at night on Mt Ruapehu knocked out the rail bridge at Tangiwai
Tangiwai disaster
The Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand history. An 11-carriage overnight express from Wellington to Auckland fell into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, ten kilometres west of Waiouru. The bridge carrying the North Island Main Trunk Railway over the...
causing three carriages of the Wellington-Auckland express to plunge into the Whangaehu River
Whangaehu River
The Whangaehu River is a large river in central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Wanganui.-Length:...
killing many passengers.
The last major eruption in the area was the last eruption from the Lake Taupo volcanic complex 1800 years ago which ejected lava and especially wind blown tephra over a wide area to the north and north east of the North Island. About 30cubic kilometres of material were released making this the biggest volcanic event in the world in the last 5,000 years.
The entire area is above 300 metres, with a considerable proportion of it more than 800 metres above sea level. The plateau has a mild climate although the temperature regularly falls below freezing in winter and snow can fall between March and October.The period of maximum snow is July to September. Sudden blizzard conditions can be experienced on the volcanoes in winter. These blizzards have killed climbers as recently as the 1980s.The Desert Road on State Highway 1 is often closed by snow in winter for brief periods.
Flora
The natural vegetation of the area includes the podocarp conifers including rimu (Dacrydium cupressinumDacrydium cupressinum
Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use....
), miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea
Prumnopitys ferruginea
Prumnopitys ferruginea is an evergreen coniferous tree which is endemic to New Zealand. Before the genus Prumnopitys was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus as Podocarpus ferrugineus....
), matai (Prumnopitys taxifolia
Prumnopitys taxifolia
Prumnopitys taxifolia is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island/Rakiura but is uncommon there....
), totara (Podocarpus totara
Podocarpus totara
Podocarpus totara is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m.-Description:...
) and kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides or kahikatea is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand.The tree grows to a height of with a trunk exceeding in diameter, and is buttressed at the base. It is dominant in lowland forest and wetlands throughout the North and South Islands...
) and hardwoods that once covered this whole area before the eruption of Taupo and other volcanoes. To the west of the three large volcanoes, the land is rough forested hill country, while the north close to Lake Taupo is more fertile and undulating and much has been cleared for farming. The forest used to extend to the west coast and there are still patches of natural vegetation in wetlands including the Horowhenua floodplains.
However to the east of Taupo the barren, ash-laden soils and harsh alpine climate leave the high land largely bare and unprofitable, capable of growing only scrubby plants. This area is known as the Rangipo Desert
Rangipo Desert
Rangipo Desert is a barren desert-like environment in New Zealand, located in the Ruapehu District on the North Island Volcanic Plateau; to the east of the three active peaks of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Ruapehu, and to the west of the Kaimanawa Range.The Rangipo Desert receives...
although it is not a true desert as the annual rainfall is over 1,000mm PA and the real reason for the low and sparse vegegation was the mass sterilization of seeds caused by the 20,000-year-old Taupo eruption, which swept white-hot ignimbrite through this valley. Prior to this cataclysmic event this area was forested and stumps of charcoalized trees can be seen where soil has eroded.
Around Taupo itself there are geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
areas with specialised plant life such as the prostrate kanuka (a subspecies of kunzea ericoides).
Further to the east of the plateau lies more rough hill country in the Kaimanawa Ranges, a popular hunting area for wild Red deer.The tops of the mountains are open and tussock covered.Helicopters and light aircraft can land on a rough air strip.Hunting range in the bush is often 50m or less but in the open tops the range can be much further. The area to the South,around Lake Moawhango
Lake Moawhango
Lake Moawhango is a small lake located with the New Zealand Army's Waiouru Training area. It is fed by tributaries running off the slopes of Mt Ruapehu, and feeds water into the Tongariro River Hydro scheme via the Moawhango Tunnel...
is richer in plant life. Finally there are areas of beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
forest and alpine vegetation at higher elevations throughout the region.
Fauna
The northern side of the plateau especially is home to wildlife including birds such as the North Island kokakoKokako
The Kōkako is a forest bird which is endemic to New Zealand. It is slate-grey with wattles and a black mask. It is one of three species of New Zealand Wattlebird, the other two being the endangered Tieke and the extinct Huia...
wattlebird (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni), New Zealand Kaka, and large populations of brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) and blue duck
Blue Duck
The Blue Duck is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae endemic to New Zealand. It is the only member of the genus Hymenolaimus, placed in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae after previously being considered part of the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage...
(Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos). The area to the south of the plateau and down to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
is home to a variety of lizards including Whitaker's skink
Whitaker's skink
The Whitaker's skink, Cyclodina whitakeri, is a species of skink in the Scincidae family. It is found only in New Zealand. The specific epithet is in honour of Tony Whitaker , a New Zealand herpetologist who has studied NZ lizards for more than 30 years.Whitaker's skink lives in coastal forest and...
(Cyclodina whitakeri), forest gecko
Forest gecko
The forest gecko, Hoplodactylus granulatus, is a species of gecko in the family Gekkonidae. Granulatus refers to the granular texture of the skin. It is endemic to New Zealand, found in all areas except the Far North, Marlborough, and Canterbury....
(Hoplodactylus granulatus) and Wellington green gecko
Wellington green gecko
The Wellington green gecko, Naultinus elegans punctatus, is a subspecies of gecko found only in the southern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
(Naultinus elegens punctatus). Wetlands throughout the region support waterbirds and fish including the endemic brown mudfish.
Threats and preservation
The lowland areas are quite highly populated and therefore urban development, agriculture and forestry are a major threat to natural habitats there. One block of lowland forest remains in and around Whanganui National ParkWhanganui National Park
The Whanganui National Park is a national park located in the North Island of New Zealand. Established in 1986, it covers an area of 742 km² bordering the Whanganui River. It incorporates areas of Crown land, former state forest and a number of former reserves. The river itself is not part of the...
and large areas of the uplands are protected either by Maori tradition or in national parks of which Te Urewera
Te Urewera National Park
Te Urewera National Park is one of fourteen national parks within New Zealand and is the largest of the four in the North Island. Covering an area of approximately 2,127 km², it is in the north east of the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island....
is the largest. The four North Island national parks, which surround the plateau, are Te Urewera, Whanganui, Egmont and New Zealand's first national park, the World Heritage listed Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park
Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites....
. Introduced species and livestock grazing are now major threats to some endemic species. Rats, cats and stoats prey on native reptiles and birds (including the kokako, blue duck and brown kiwi), while imported plants such as Old Man’s Beard
Clematis vitalba
Clematis vitalba is a shrub of the Ranunculaceae family.-Description:Clematis vitalba is a climbing shrub with branched, grooved stems, deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying sepals...
and Banana passionfruit
Banana passionfruit
Banana passionfruit is the fruit of several plants in the genus Passiflora, and are therefore related to the passion fruit. They look somewhat like a straight, small banana with rounded ends. It was given this name in New Zealand, where passionfruit are also prevalent. In Hawaii, it is called...
and gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
can take over from indigenous species. Finally grazing by goats and possums can eradicate others such as kamahi
Weinmannia racemosa
Weinmannia racemosa, Kāmahi, a medium-sized tree of the family Cunoniaceae, is a very common tree in New Zealand, occurring in lowland, montane, and subalpine forests and shrubland from the central North Island south to Stewart Island....
, kaikawaka
Libocedrus bidwillii
Libocedrus bidwillii variously called Pāhautea, Kaikawaka or New Zealand cedar is a species of Libocedrus, endemic to New Zealand on both the North and South Islands; on the North Island, it occurs from Te Aroha southward...
(Libocedrus bidwillii) and montane totara
Podocarpus cunninghamii
Podocarpus cunninghamii is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family, commonly known as Montane totara, thin-bark totara, or Hall's totara. It is also known as Podocarpus hallii can also be found around mountains growing around the base within a forest regionIt is found only in New...
. Therefore smaller islands off the coast of Wellington have been used as a refuge for North Island birds and reptiles whose habitats may be threatened now or in the future.
Also the Volcanic Plateau region has the largest area of man made forest in the Southern Hemisphere. Nearly all the trees are Pinus radiata which were bought in for trials at Rotorua in 1899 from Kew Gardens,London. The tree, a native of Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, grew very fast in the poor soils. Mass planting was initially carried out by prisoners in the 1920s and then by the unemployed on a large scale during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. After World War II scientists from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
settled in the region and helped develop ways of treating the soft pine to prevent rot
ROT
The aviation term ROT stands for rate one turn, also known as a standard rate turn. All aircraft must be able to perform a standard rate turn....
ting using pressure treatment with chemicals. They also introduced selective breeding
Selective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
methods which was the standard way of improving the trees until tissue culture
Tissue culture
Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar...
was introduced in the 1990s. Trees take 25–30 years to reach full height. Most plantations use growth factor
Growth factor
A growth factor is a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cellular growth, proliferation and cellular differentiation. Usually it is a protein or a steroid hormone. Growth factors are important for regulating a variety of cellular processes....
(GF) trees to guarantee very high quality (straight and knot-free) timber, however treatment by chemical salts is still required to stop rotting.This is done bu either dipping or more usually, pressure treatment. New Zealand has pioneered the use of Radiata timber and plywood in small craft boatbuilding. Untreated clear timber or plywood is used that is then encapsulated in epoxy resin after construction. The key reason is the low cost of the wood rather than any inherent properies of the wood which is of moderate weight but fractures easily when bent, when dried to 12% moisture. One of the largest ply factories in New Zealand is located on the Volcanic Plateau at Tokoroa. Although planting by hand is still done on steeper land, most seedlings are now planted with the help of machines.
Urban areas in the region include the towns of Taihape
Taihape
Taihape is the Northern gateway town of the Rangitikei District, located near the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. It services a large rural community and lies on State Highway 1, which runs through the centre of the North Island.- Economy :...
in the south, Ohakune
Ohakune
Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the town is 70 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 25 kilometres west...
the carrot-growing capital of NZ in the west, and Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....
in the north, with Turangi
Turangi
Turangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupo on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric power development project and their families...
a major trout fishing base at the south of Lake Taupo and by the Kaweka Ranges in the east, The majority of the population of the area lives close to the shores of Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
, with some smaller settlements to the east of the volcanoes. These make their living largely through tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, including skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
in the winter season, trout fishing, especially on the Tongariro river or by forestry in the plateau's northeast, which includes the Kaingaroa Forest
Kaingaroa Forest
Kaingaroa Forest is the largest forest in the North Island of New Zealand, and the largest plantation in the southern hemisphere.The forest covers 2900 km² in the inland East Cape and Bay of Plenty regions, and stretches south past the east coast of Lake Taupo...
or by working on the extensive Hydro Electric power system.
History
The Māori population during the Archaic period was sparse. Only two moahunter period sites have been discovered to date. The best known is the Whakamoenga cave near Taupo. The cave was in use about 600 years ago and three moa bones, obsidian flakes, hollow pumice stone ash holders, pumice floats, a fishing net, bird spears, pieces of hue (gourd) and bracken remains have been found. The other moahunter site is at Tokoroa.Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matata across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo.The iwi is identified...
. Their paramount chief is Tumu te Heuheu, who was knighted in 2009. They moved into this area after splitting away from the Arawa tribe on the east coast. The boundary between Arawa and Tuwharetoa is a small island 400 metres north of Huka Falls
Huka Falls
The Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River that drains Lake Taupo in New Zealand.A few hundred metres upstream from the Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from roughly 100 metres across into a narrow canyon only 15 metres across...
on the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
. Their main marae is on the southern shores of Lake Taupo at Waihi near the Tokaanu geothermal area. They still retain ownership of the peaks of the mountains which are considered sacred, as well as the Ketetahi hot springs on the north slope of Mt Tongariro. The Māori people considered the volcanoes sacred and in traditional times wore woven flax eye shields to avoid looking at the peaks.
The Rangipo region is largely uninhabited. It is used by the New Zealand Army
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
, based at Waiouru
Waiouru
Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....
in the south, and by the Rangipo prison farm in the north and Rangipo underground HEP station to the east. During the 1960s The Tongariro power scheme redirected the flow of water from many of the streams and rivers that drain the central peaks. The water was channelled into canals, tunnels and storage lakes to provide water for 2 HEP stations at Rangipo and Tokaanu. The water then flowed into Lake Taupo increasing its input by 20%. Most of the Tongariro river flow is not included in the power scheme due to its importance as a breeding area for Brown and Rainbow trout. The extra water boosted the amount of water available to the 10 other HEP stations on the Waikato River which flows from the north end of the lake and is its only exit.
The productivity of pasture on the plateau was greatly improved in the 1950s once it was realised that the "bush sickness" suffered by local livestock was due to cobalt deficient volcanic soils. The cure for this was discovered by an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n scientist in 1936 but the application of cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
at the rate of 30cc per Ha was only possible after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
making use of war surplus planes and ex WW2 pilots for aerial topdressing. The cobalt was mixed with crushed phosphate rock which was obtained cheaply from Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
Island in the West Pacific. The resulting mix was called Super Phosphate.
The site is close to Tangiwai, the scene of New Zealand's worst railway disaster on Christmas Eve, 1953 ,when 151 were killed when the rail bridge was destroyed by a lahar flow from Mt Ruapehu.
The largest farm in the North Island was established off the Taupo-Napier road and is called Lochinver Station. The station was largely developed by construction millionaire Bill Stephenson and his family using heavy earthmoving equipment in the 1960s and 1970s. The high country sheep and cattle station has several airstrips, 21 houses and 200km of roading. It normally carries 100,000 breeding ewes and about 8,000 cattle. It has extensive shelter belts of contorta pine, improved rye-grass pasture and grows crops of swedes and barley. The farm is open to tourist and school group bus tours.
Popular culture
The Cold Kiwi Motorcycle rally, NZ's largest rally. , has been held on the Plateau since 1972. Initially at 6 Crossroads on army land near the highest point on the Desert Road, it has now moved to a new site 6 km west of Waiouru on the Ohakune Road. The event is run by Ruapehu Motorcycle club in early Sept each year. The average temperature is -8C at night. Bikers sleep in their own tents but the club provides competitions, souvenirs, hot food and drinks, a bonfire, live bands and WC's. Tourism is an economic mainstay of the region with a wide range of largely outdoor attractions from trout fishing, flyfishing on Tongaroro River or harling on Lake Taupo, tramping, Mountain biking, deer or pig hunting, horse riding to snowskiing/boarding on Mt Ruapehu.The one day Tongariro Alpine Crossing from the Mangatepopo Valley across Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro is considered one of the greatest one-day walks in the world. The 19.2 km track is well marked and popular but trampers should be quite fit and well equipped as the route is exposed, especially during the winter months(April to September). There are two well equipped huts on the route. Detailed guidance is available from the Mt Ruapehu Visitors Centre. The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre is located on the site of an old construction camp. Started by mountaineer Graham Dingle in the 1970s, this centre offers valuable outdoor training experience and skills to secondary school groups and others. Train and engineering enthusiasts will enjoy the Raurimu Spiral - a railway masterpiece where the main trunk rail line spirals upwards 132m via a tunnel and 180 degree hair pin bends so the passengers near the head of the train can see the rear carraiges heading in the opposite direction. This was the last stage to be built in the main trunk railway line completeted in 1900. A YMCA, which used to be the local primary school, is located nearby for accommodation.