Volcano Erupts in North NZ, Some Air Flights Affected

From Tuesday earlier this week, I noticed this story from MSN news where they have this headline: "Eruption affects North Island travel" with these highlights: "The volcanic eruption at Mt Tongariro is affecting air travel in the central North Island. Some flights to and from Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo, Napier and Palmerston North have been delayed or cancelled. About 20 domestic flights in and out of Auckland airport have been cancelled, and 22 have been delayed."

For the Associated Press (AP), their story said: "A volcano quiet for more than a century erupted in a New Zealand national park, spreading thick ash for several kilometers (miles) and causing some residents to evacuate their homes. Some domestic flights were canceled Tuesday. Mount Tongariro spewed ash and rocks for about 30 minutes late Monday night after a few weeks of increased seismic activity. It didn’t cause any injuries or damage in the sparsely populated central North Island region. Tongariro National Park has three active volcanos, is a popular tourist destination and was the backdrop for many scenes in the “Lord of the Rings” movies."

In getting ready for our July 2010 Norway coast cruise, we had to worry about the volcano problems from Iceland that spring disrupting Europe air flights so much and raising questions if it would happen more in the summer to ruin our cruise. Fortunately, things settled down that summer in Iceland with that volcano. I didn't realize NZ had that much potential volcano "action". Hopefully this should not be a problem for late January and early February 2014 when we are in NZ during our cruise and the post-cruise activities in and around Auckland and Queenstown.

From this source, they also pulled up and had a few of these background factors:

* The Tongariro volcano is a massive complex of volcanic cones formed by at least 12 vents erupting over more than 275,000 years.

* Until Monday night, the last time Mt. Tongariro erupted was in 1896-97, when the upper Te Maari crater erupted, dumping 50 millimetres of ash on the Desert Road, and wafting ash as far as Napier.

Mt. Tongariro is about 60 miles to the NW of Napier.

Full stories at:

http://travel.msn.co.nz/travelnews/8512096/eruption-affects-north-island-travel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/volcano-erupts-in-new-zealand-national-park-spews-ash-that-cancels-some-domestic-flights/2012/08/07/2f0ea0f2-e0cf-11e1-8d48-2b1243f34c85_story.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 96,032 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 78,060 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

From Tuesday earlier this week, I noticed this story from MSN news where they have this headline: "Eruption affects North Island travel" with these highlights: "The volcanic eruption at Mt Tongariro is affecting air travel in the central North Island. Some flights to and from Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo, Napier and Palmerston North have been delayed or cancelled. About 20 domestic flights in and out of Auckland airport have been cancelled, and 22 have been delayed."

 

For the Associated Press (AP), their story said: "A volcano quiet for more than a century erupted in a New Zealand national park, spreading thick ash for several kilometers (miles) and causing some residents to evacuate their homes. Some domestic flights were canceled Tuesday. Mount Tongariro spewed ash and rocks for about 30 minutes late Monday night after a few weeks of increased seismic activity. It didn’t cause any injuries or damage in the sparsely populated central North Island region. Tongariro National Park has three active volcanos, is a popular tourist destination and was the backdrop for many scenes in the “Lord of the Rings” movies."

 

In getting ready for our July 2010 Norway coast cruise, we had to worry about the volcano problems from Iceland that spring disrupting Europe air flights so much and raising questions if it would happen more in the summer to ruin our cruise. Fortunately, things settled down that summer in Iceland with that volcano. I didn't realize NZ had that much potential volcano "action". Hopefully this should not be a problem for late January and early February 2014 when we are in NZ during our cruise and the post-cruise activities in and around Auckland and Queenstown.

 

From this source, they also pulled up and had a few of these background factors:

 

* The Tongariro volcano is a massive complex of volcanic cones formed by at least 12 vents erupting over more than 275,000 years.

 

* Until Monday night, the last time Mt. Tongariro erupted was in 1896-97, when the upper Te Maari crater erupted, dumping 50 millimetres of ash on the Desert Road, and wafting ash as far as Napier.

 

Mt. Tongariro is about 60 miles to the NW of Napier.

 

Full stories at:

http://travel.msn.co.nz/travelnews/8512096/eruption-affects-north-island-travel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/volcano-erupts-in-new-zealand-national-park-spews-ash-that-cancels-some-domestic-flights/2012/08/07/2f0ea0f2-e0cf-11e1-8d48-2b1243f34c85_story.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Things seem to have settled down again now and they are starting to let people back on the mountain.

Relatively few flights were cancelled - to those towns east of the volcano, as the ash cloud was being blown eastwards. No international flights were affected.

NZ is a volcanic and thermal area and it sits on the Pacific "rim of fire", so eruptions are always possible, but they are actually quite rare.

I don't think there's any need to worry about international flights being impacted. As I remember, the last time before this that any flights were affected was back in the 1990s.

We currently have 3 volcanos that are active, Mt Tongariro, White Island and another one North of New Zealand under the sea. Air traffic was only disrupted for a very short period of time.

None of these are doing anything too dramatic at the moment. Its all part of living here. Also had a couple of minor earthquakes today, no damage. We are called the "Shaky Isles" lol

We currently have 3 volcanos that are active, Mt Tongariro, White Island and another one North of New Zealand under the sea. Air traffic was only disrupted for a very short period of time.

 

None of these are doing anything too dramatic at the moment. Its all part of living here. Also had a couple of minor earthquakes today, no damage. We are called the "Shaky Isles" lol

Kia ora,

Here in Rotorua we live in the midst of a large volcanic zone, hence the boiling mud and hot water pools/small lakes and steam issuing from the ground. Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe are in the same region as Tongariro, and are all part of the volcanic area stretching from Whakaari (White island), about 40k's off the coast, to Ruapehu. Ruapehu (which is about two hours drive from here and has our nearest ski field) is active and periodically erupts too.

Aquarians

Appreciate the good updates, background information, etc., on New Zealand and its "underground" action. Glad things have not been too bad compared to the mess created in 2010 in Europe thanks to the Iceland volcano. Good insights from people there who know and enjoy the glories of NZ. Look forward to being there in early 2014.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 96,115 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

From the BBC news this morning, they have this interesting and unique story with this headline: "Vast volcanic 'raft' found in Pacific, near New Zealand".

Here are the story highlights: "A vast 'raft' of volcanic rocks covering 10,000 sq miles of ocean has been spotted by a New Zealand military aircraft. A naval ship was forced to change course in order to avoid the cluster of buoyant rocks, located 1,000 miles off the New Zealand coast. The unusual phenomenon was probably the result of pumice being released from an underwater volcano, experts said. Lieutenant Tim Oscar told the AFP news agency: 'As far ahead as I could observe was a raft of pumice moving up and down with the swell.' Researchers aboard the ship, HMNZS Canterbury, suggest that the source of the pumice was an underwater volcano (seamount) known as Monowai, located to the north of New Zealand."

As wisely noted by earlier poster Te Aroha: "Its all part of living here. Also had a couple of minor earthquakes today, no damage. We are called the 'Shaky Isles' lol"

Full story at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19207810

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 96,115 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Terry, thanks for posting all of this information.

Very much appreciated.

Keith

 

As wisely noted by earlier poster Te Aroha: "Its all part of living here. Also had a couple of minor earthquakes today, no damage. We are called the 'Shaky Isles' lol"

Yes, we do tend to get a bit casual about it. It is just part of our lives (like people in the US "Tornado Alley" states, I guess). All our primary school kids are taught (and practice) "Drop, Cover, Hold" in the event of an earthquake.

If you drive along what we call the "Desert Road" in the central North Island, at one stage you get a good view of Ngaruhoe, one of our volcanos, which is a classical cone shape. It's always smoking a bit - actually, I learned only last week that it is one of the vents of Mt. Tongariro. White Island, at sea off Whakatane, is also always smoking.

I live near Mt. Taranaki/Egmont, in the west of the North Island. This is another classical cone-shaped volcano, rather like the famous Mt. Fuji, in Japan. "Our" mountain is supposedly dormant - but you never know!

To my fellow Buckeye:

I hope your trip will include a visit to White Island. The Volendam spent quite a long time sailing around the island and giving us a fantastic view of this developing volcanic island. There are tours, I understand, that make a landing on the island from near-by North Island ports. Really, it was one of the highlights of my cruise and another reason why I so much enjoy/love New Zealand!

To my fellow Buckeye: I hope your trip will include a visit to White Island. The Volendam spent quite a long time sailing around the island and giving us a fantastic view of this developing volcanic island. There are tours, I understand, that make a landing on the island from near-by North Island ports. Really, it was one of the highlights of my cruise and another reason why I so much enjoy/love New Zealand!

For our fellow Buckeye from nearby Centerville south of Dayton, you've offered a great tip. As our ship sails at 6 pm on Jan. 30, 2014, from Napier and Hawke’s Bay to Tauranga to arrive there at 5:30 am on Feb. 1, we will be passing nearby to White Island enroute. We've got a sea day during that journey between these two ports. My rough guess, however, is that we would be passing near or around Whakaari/White Island during the dark of night in approaching Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.

This island seems very interesting and is roughly circular, about 1.2 miles in diameter and rises to a height of 1,053 feet above sea level. It is the peak of a much larger submarine mountain that rises up 5,249 feet above the seafloor.

Have saved your tip and this info in my now, over-500-page computer file for this trip. Will ask about this potential when I get on the ship to find out more. Very unique option and scenic potential.

THANKS for the heads-up! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 97,264 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

From the Australian newspaper earlier this week, they have this headline: "NZ volcano Mt Tongariro erupts" with these highlights: "Mount Tongariro volcano in the central North Island has erupted, sending a black plume of ash up to 2km into the air and forcing hundreds of hikers to be evacuated. Hundreds of tourists - including 90 schoolchildren from Napier - were on the mountain when Tongariro erupted. Police are warning sightseers to stay away from the area. The official GNS Science monitoring service issued a potential threat alert after the eruption at the volcano, which was the location for parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The volcano became active in August this year after lying dormant for more than a century."

As noted earlier, this location is about 60 miles to the northwest of Napier where our cruise in early 2014 will stop. This story has a number of pictures from the site and area, plus many other details on this unique "happening" in nature-rich New Zealand.

From a Wall Street Journal story that I first saw yesterday, they noted: "New Zealand straddles a geologically unstable area across the South Pacific that is part of the so-called Ring of Fire. Last year, a massive earthquake struck the city of Christchurch on the country's South Island, killing 115 people."

As Jerry Lee Lewis noted in his famed rock 'n roll hit, that's a "Whole Lot of Shaking Going On". With our upcoming trip down under, I will be following these nature developments more closely during the upcoming year.

Full stories at:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nz-volcano-mt-tongariro-erupts/story-e6frg6n6-1226521131017

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324352004578131853200032448.html?mod=world_newsreel

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 109,775 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

To my fellow Buckeye:

 

I hope your trip will include a visit to White Island. The Volendam spent quite a long time sailing around the island and giving us a fantastic view of this developing volcanic island. There are tours, I understand, that make a landing on the island from near-by North Island ports. Really, it was one of the highlights of my cruise and another reason why I so much enjoy/love New Zealand!

Have to agree with you. we did a White Island tour & it was the highlight of our 2 week campervanning trip.:D

Hundreds of tourists - including 90 schoolchildren from Napier - were on the mountain when Tongariro erupted.

From the Telegraph in London/UK two days ago, they have this headline: "New Zealand volcano ‘good for tourists’" with these highlights: "The volcanic activity on New Zealand’s North Island may ultimately do more to lure tourists than deter them, local tourist officials have claimed. Experts say there is a 'significant possibility' the volcano will erupt again, but the news is not discouraging locals, the New Zealand Times reports. Mike Smith of Visit Ruapehu, an official tourism organisation in the area, said: 'For now we're in the spotlight, and sometimes that can turn out to be a positive'. Since the eruption, flights have resumed and a travel advisory for the area has been lifted."

Interesting background and potential. The story also noted: "It would not be the first time a natural disaster has boosted visitor numbers. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland in 2010 – which caused widespread disruption to flights – ultimately attracted many visitors hoping for a glimpse of the country’s volatile natural powers."

Full story at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9698405/New-Zealand-volcano-good-for-tourists.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 110,005 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474