Mt Ruapehu is steeped in cultural, geographical, and historical significance.
Stories date back centuries, and are told through different perspectives, both in legend and historical record.
In Aotearoa, New Zealand, maunga (mountains) are held in the utmost regard and considered sacred. The spiritual connection of Māori to maunga dates back generations. Māori myths and legends pertaining to Mt Ruapehu and how the mountains came to be, are retold by different iwi (tribes) in their own ways. Consistent in their stories is the legend of Māui tikitiki-a-Taranga (Māui) – a hero or demi-god in Māori (and wider Pacific) legend.
Mt Ruapehu rises from the Central Plateau alongside neighbouring peaks of Mt Ngāuruhoe and Mt Tongariro. The peaks form part of the UNESCO Dual World Heritage Tongariro National Park, one of New Zealand’s premier outdoor destinations. The Tongariro National Park has attracted adventurers of all ages, since 1887.
The expansive 80,000-hectare Tongariro National Park is one of three World Heritage sites in New Zealand. Its Dual World Heritage status was inscribed in 1990, recognising the area’s important Māori cultural and spiritual associations, as well as its outstanding volcanic features.
The Tongariro National Park is only one of 29 sites in the world with dual World Heritage status.
The legend of Māui states, that while out fishing with his elder brothers, Māui cast his fishing line to the sea, before drawing forth a great fish – Te Ika a Māui (The Fish of Māui) – which we now know as the North Island of New Zealand. As the highest points in the North Island, it is said that the peaks of Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngāuruhoe, and Mt Tongariro, would have been the first parts of Māui’s fish to emerge from the water.
Mt Ruapehu is a stratovolcano (also called a composite cone volcano), built up by successive layers of andesite lava and ash deposits. It is the largest active volcano in New Zealand, its three summit caters active in the last 10,000 years. There is currently an active vent beneath the crater lake of the south crater – Te Wai ā-moe (sleeping waters).
Eruptions at Mt Ruapehu have occurred in the past and are expected to continue much as they have for the past 2,000 years, with frequent minor eruptions and more significant events every 20-30 years (although the possibility of larger events cannot be ruled out). That said, volcanic activity is monitored very closely, through web cameras, seismographs, microphones, and GPS stations. Water and gas monitoring of Te Wai ā-moe and airborne gas monitoring is carried out regularly. A lahar alarm and warning system is in place, to detect and warn of lahar activity in advance.