MountNgauruhoe is an active stratovolcano in New Zealand.
The volcano lies between the active volcanoes of MountTongariro to the north and Mount Ruapehu to the south, to the west of the Rangipo Desert 25 kilometres to the south of the southern shore of Lake Taupo.
In the early 2000sMountNgauruhoe was used as a stand-in for the fictional Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, achieving worldwide exposure.
To the south are the hills and plains of the Otago Plateau, which is bordered on the west by the wilderness of Fiordland National Park.
In the west is Mount Taranaki (also named Mount Egmont), with an almost perfectly symmetrical cone rising to a height of 2,518 m (8,261 ft).
Mount Ruapehu, the highest point of the North Island, erupted with substantial clouds of ash in 1995 and 1996, and dangerous lahars (concrete-like mixtures of volcanic ash and mud) occasionally slide down its slopes.
Mount Ngauruhoe: Facts and details from Encyclopedia Topic(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Mounttongariro is a volcanic mountain complex in the north island of new zealand....
Mount ruapehu, or just ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano, situated at the southern end of the taupo volcanic zone....
In the early 2000s[Follow this hyperlink for a summary of this subject] MountNgauruhoe was used as a stand-in for the fictional Mount Doom Mount Doom quick summary:
Mount Taranaki (2518 m/8260 ft), a solitary, extinct volcanic cone, is situated near the western extremity of the island.
The chief mountain range of South Island is the Southern Alps, a massive uplift extending in a southwestern to northeastern direction for almost the entire length of the island; 17 peaks in the range exceed 3050 m (10,000 ft) in elevation.
Mount Cook (3754 m/12,316 ft), the highest point in New Zealand, rises from the center of the range, which also has a number of glaciers.
Tongariro National Park is towards the bottom end of the North Island, and has three volcanoes - Mount Ruapehu (highest peak in the North Island at 2,797m), MountNgauruhoe and MountTongariro - which rise up from a flat plateau covered with Tussock grass and flax.
The volcanoes are active and Mount Ruapehu was on alert level 1 (the same as White Island).
Of the three, MountNgauruhoe is the most striking, capped in snow, and with a perfect conical volcano shape.
Mount Taranaki - Te Maunga O Taranaki - is the dominant feature of the province, being the second tallest mountain in the North Island.
Maori legend says that Taranaki previously lived with the Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu mountains in the central north island but fled to its current location after a battle with Tongariro.
Its original name of Taranaki was changed to Egmont when sighted by Capt. James Cook, but is now officially named "Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont" [1] The mountain is a near perfect cone and dominates the landscape.
Tongariro Ruapehu Accommodation(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
Built in 1929 to house New Zealand's first intrepid skiers, the hotel is renowned for its classical styling and grandeur, epitomised by the Ngauruhoe Room and it's panoramic views of MountNgauruhoe.
Situated on the doorstep of the spectacular World Heritage Tongariro National Park, Powderhorn Chateau Mount Ruapehu is close to Turoa Skifield and Whakapapa Skifield.
The Skotel is an alpine retreat, offering accommodation nestled in the tussock, on the edge of the Whakapapa Village in the heart of the Tongariro National Park.
Its agricultural capabilities are very considerable; its forests yield excellent timber; and its mineral resources, though as yet but little developed and not very varied in character, form one of the country's most valuable assets.
Volcanoes, one of which, Ngauruhoe, the highest cone of MountTongariro, was in active eruption in 1909, and a volcanic belt marks the centre of the North Island.
In the North island also is the wonderland of the boiling geyserssaid by geologists to be the oldest in the world, with the exception of those in Wyoming and Idahoand the famous "Hot Lakes" and pools, which possess great curative virtue for all rheumatic and skin diseases.
When the weather cleared up we travelled back down to the Tongariro National Park.
We did not really have enough time to do any of the very appealing one day and multi-day walks (we would have needed crampons and ice axes!) so went on the Tama Lakes walk between the two big volcanos - including the real life Mount Doom (although Sauron was out at the time).
After that we had to drive to Christchurch, fast, so I could get my plane and fly home (all good things come to an end I suppose)
The lowest (Mount Aspiring) is the only one outside Mount Cook National Park.
The North Island's main mountains are all volcanoes: Ruapehu (2797m/9175'), Ngauruhoe (2291m), and Tongariro (1968m) in the centre, and Taranaki (2518m) to the west.
They soon became the most vocal advocates of deregulation, and New Zealand could mount a credible campaign against protection in world agricultural markets.