Mount Ngauruhoe

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. Although seen by most as a volcano in its own right, it is technically a secondary cone of Mount Tongariro.

The volcano lies between the active volcanoes of Mount Tongariro 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.

It erupted 45 times in the 20th century, most recently in 1977.Fumaroles exist inside the inner crater and on the rim of the eastern, outer crat  er.

There are several possible explanations for the mountain’s name. The most plausible is Nga Uru Hoe, meaning “throwing heated stones”.

In the early 2000s Mount Ngauruhoe 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. (Easter egg, or reference?)