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Awoke on my second morning, flipped on the news to hear that Tongarriro, a volcano located in the middle of the North Island, had erupted around midnight. The monitoring systems had not indicated any upcoming events, so it was lucky it was in the middle of the night when no one was hiking on the range. Hot rocks of "good size" flew about one kilometer and ash was spewed over towards the east coast. Some roads were closed and flights cancelled. This was not a big event, but it was still a volcanic eruption while I am here. I had originally scheduled a hike over Tongarriro, but not anymore!
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Now, the picture is obviously NOT this particular eruption as it was taken during daylight. But, it was taken on NZ of a previous volcano. And, the WARNING sign was posted in the museum to keep children from climbing on the display, but I think this warning now speaks to me!
What an experience to live through! It must have been a "bit" of a shock to hear about that eruption!
ReplyDelete~Ava
Haha, keep the comments coming! Yes, it was quite a grand welcoming although I slept through it here in Auckland.
ReplyDeleteMs. m
Wow! That must have been a BIG surprise to have happened while you were visiting! How far away from the volcano were you?
ReplyDeleteEmily, the volcano was about 120 miles away. I never felt anything or saw any ash as it went to the east and at that time, I was north of the volcano. But, it closed roads and all the hiking, which I was supposed to do! Not anymore.
DeleteThat is sweet!! Were you near enough to the volcano to hear when it erupted?
ReplyDeleteNO Jake, I just saw it on the news. But, I did fly over it later in my trip. It was covered in clouds so we could not see it smouldering.
DeleteOh my goodness! That must have been scary! I know if I had been there I would have freaked out. Luckily you weren't hiking when it erupted. Did you see or hear any of the eruption? That must have been a cool experience, but also scary.
ReplyDelete~Erin Siedlecki
I was far enough away that I slept through it. The people in NZ do not worry about the volcanoes as they have always been around them while they are active. They have safety precautions and evacuations in place if they are needed.
DeleteAwesome!!! Was there any lava? I'm glad you weren't there when it erupted. -Gabriel C.
ReplyDeleteNo lava, it just spit out "hot rocks" (BIG!!!!) and lots of ash. Usually, the seismologist have indications of an impending eruption, but not this one. So, it was very good that it erupted at night when no one was hiking and no one was on the neighboring mountain skiing! Very lucky for everyone!
DeleteHow far away from the volcano were you staying? If that happened I would be scared to death! There's a story that you'll get to tell. Can't wait until school starts and we can talk more about your trip!
ReplyDeleteI was about 120 miles away, very safe, no problems. We will have some great talks in school :-)
DeleteWOW! If volcanic activity occured while I was visiting, i would have freaked out! How much damage did the volcano create?
ReplyDelete~Caroline McGonegal
I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to hear that on the news! I would have completely freaked out! If I were you, I would have cancelled my hike too!
ReplyDelete- Morgan Ackley
haha, yes Morgan, I had no choice as all the tour companies had to shut down. When I flew over the volcano a few days later, and saw the steep and jagged sides, maybe I was just a little glad I did not have to put crampons on my boots and use an ice axe!
DeleteCool! At least the eruption wasn't like Pompeii and destroyed a whole town and killed thousands. That would have been bad!
ReplyDeleteGabby, very true. This was a minor eruption that luckily did not harm anyone! Just some major clean up and no hiking or skiing for a while.
DeleteWow! That sounds amazing! What a story to tell! Could you hear the eruption occur?
ReplyDelete- Emily Crocco
No Emily, I slept through it and heard about it on the news. The local New Zealanders seemed very uneffected by the whole thing. In their words..."just a little inconvenience"!
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