The walking mountains

Warrior Mountains

The warrior mountains were also accompanied by the beautiful bush cloaked Pihanga. All of the mountains wanted Pihanga to be their wife, her beauty was known through out the land. Eventually the warriors began to despise each other until they could no longer hold back their feelings. The mountains would argue and throw huge rocks at each other. They vented poisonous gases as they hissed and roared, they turned the day to night by filling the sky with ash and smoke. Before long a great battle broke out, Tongariro threw great molten boulders at his enemies and rained hot volcanic lava over them, Taranaki fought back, Tauhara and Putuaki also vented their anger, the battle raged for days. Eventually through the darkness Tongariro had emerged victorious and had taken his place next to Pihanga. In the darkness Putuaki (Mt Edgecumbe, near Whakatane) had left and headed for the sunrise where he now remains, Taranaki was heart broken, he headed towards the coast to the darkness leaving a river of tears behind him (the Whanganui river), Tauhara was reluctant to let the beautiful Pihanga slip from his sight and only made it as far as the northern side of lake Taupo. When the sun arose the mountains remained where they stood forever.

Mt Ruapehu

Eruptions in the Taupo area have been post dated to 330,000 years ago. The most recent was in 1996 when Mt Ruapehu spectacularly erupted. Other major eruptions have occurred in 1861, 1895, 1903, 1945, 1969, 1971 and 1975. The most deadly incident occurred on Christmas eve 1953. A sudden rise in the crater lake caused the snow cap to suddenly melt, the pressure built up before it finally gave way sending a lahar, a tidal wave of mud, blocks of ice, trees and debris racing down the mountain like a wall of wet concrete obliterating everything in it's path. Sadly in it's path was the Tangiwai Rail Bridge, 154' of the 198' long bridge had been washed away only minutes prior to the overnight express from Auckland to Wellington, packed with holiday makers on their way to the capital for Christmas. The train plummeted in to the river killing 151 of the 285 passengers. Ironically Tangiwai means weeping water.

Did you know?

How the Mountains got their fire... Legendary chief of the Te Arawa people from Rotorua, Ngatoro-I-Rangi went on a great expedition to discover the area. He climbed to the top of Tongariro but soon found he was very cold. He begged of his atua (god like) sisters to bring him fire to keep him warm. They sent him several kite's (bags) of coals, on the way down the mountain one of the bags broke sending the red hot coals bounding down the mountain. Ngatoro-I-Rangi flew into a rage, stomping his feet he fired his spear at the mountains causing them to open up and spew fire into the air. Ruapehu was formed by the depressions he left in the ground by stomping his feet. The springs at Ketetahi on the side of Mt Tongariro are said to be the place where the coals were received.