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Accessibility: DIFFICULT
WHAT'S HERE?
Tongariro Peak and its long lava ridge from South Crater, D.Townsend / GNS
A 360 degree mountain view of what makes up Tongariro volcano. You are standing on old lava erupted beside glaciers that have long-since melted away.
LEARN ABOUT IT
View northeast with North Crater to left, Blue Lake in the middle, and Red Crater track.
Looking north through northeast: The young craters of North Crater and Blue Lake.
East: The access track from Red Crater winds through material that was erupted in ice and water under a massive ice cap, now melted away.
Southeast: 'South Crater' is not actually a crater! It's a basin formed between the lava ridge you are on, the access track ridge, and Ngauruhoe. The area was once also under a massive glacier.
South (and under you): A ridge of lava that managed to erupt through the thick ice cap that was once covering the top of Tongaririo. In the middle distance is Ngauruhoe, a young Holocene cone that has erupted in an ice-free environment after the end of glaciation.
West: The steep slopes immediately below are lava and spatter fed by eruptions in the area of this ridge you are standing on. Further down the mountainside are several north-northeast trending faults of the Taupo Rift. One of these passes along a shallow valley at the foot of the steep upper slopes.
East: The access track from Red Crater winds through material that was erupted in ice and water under a massive ice cap, now melted away.
Southeast: 'South Crater' is not actually a crater! It's a basin formed between the lava ridge you are on, the access track ridge, and Ngauruhoe. The area was once also under a massive glacier.
South (and under you): A ridge of lava that managed to erupt through the thick ice cap that was once covering the top of Tongaririo. In the middle distance is Ngauruhoe, a young Holocene cone that has erupted in an ice-free environment after the end of glaciation.
West: The steep slopes immediately below are lava and spatter fed by eruptions in the area of this ridge you are standing on. Further down the mountainside are several north-northeast trending faults of the Taupo Rift. One of these passes along a shallow valley at the foot of the steep upper slopes.
HAVE A LOOK!
The view south along lava ridge erupted through an ice cap. Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu behind.
Looking down to the West, can you make out one or more of the small cross cutting valleys formed along faults?
Think about the difference between the formation of Ngauruhoe and the rocks along the Red Crater access track ridge? They both formed from erupting magma. It is hard to imagine that ice covered this whole area. Where did it go, and why?
Think about the difference between the formation of Ngauruhoe and the rocks along the Red Crater access track ridge? They both formed from erupting magma. It is hard to imagine that ice covered this whole area. Where did it go, and why?
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Directions/Advisory
Usually accessed from Mangatepopo via the Tongariro Alpine Crossing track.
Take sun, wind and rain protection and wear good footwear for rough terrain and alpine conditions.
Google Directions
Accessibility:
DIFFICULT
There is a marked but steep track from Red Crater. You can also climb Tongariro Peak up the long ridge beside Mangatepopo Valley. This is accessed up the slopes to the left (north) near the end of the lava flows, where you can easily cross the side stream about 600m up from Mangatepopo hut.
Features
Volcanic
Landform
Geological Age
Different features formed during or after the last glaciation that ended about 10,000 years ago
Zealandia Evolution Sequence
Pākihi Supergoup: 5 million years ago – present
Links