Long-dormant New Zealand volcano erupts MOUNT TONGARIRO: A New
Zealand volcano has erupted unexpectedly after lying dormant for
more than a century, spewing an ash plume that disrupted flights
and closed highways, officials said Tuesday. The Mount Tongariro
volcano, in the middle of North Island, erupted just before
midnight(local time) in the first significant activity at the
site since 1897, the official monitoring body GNS Science said.
Police said witnesses reported “flame-like explosions and a
cloud of ash coming from a new hole in the side of the
mountain”. “There were rocks being thrown out. It was like
thunder and lightning and fireworks. It was spectacular,” local
resident David Bennett told Fairfax Media. Police said there
were no reports of injuries or damage, although they were
checking wilderness huts in the remote area which are used by
hikers for shelter. Civil Defence said the eruption did not
result in any lava flows but sent a cloud of ash 20,000 feet
into the atmosphere, forcing the cancell