NEW Zealand's 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 around 1.20pm local time. 
 
 Police are warning sightseers to stay away from the area in case of further volcanic activity. 
 
 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. 
 
 NZ's Mt Tongariro crater erupts again GNS Science says New Zealand's Mt Tongariro volcano in the central North Island has erupted. 
 
 Civil Defence advised people living in or near the Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty areas to stay indoor. 
 
 Residents have complained that they are finding it hard to breathe due to the sulphur, according to New Zealand media reports. 
 
 Air New Zealand have cancelled flights between Wellington and Taupo due to the ash cloud. 
 
 GNS Science duty volcanologist Nico Fournier told APNZ the eruption, which lasted around five minutes, happened about 1.20pm. 
 
 Volcano begins to erupt A five minute eruption saw rubble and ash shoot for kilometres as New Zealand's Mt Tongariro started to stir. Vision GNS Science / TVNZ 
 
 "There was one eruption, essentially one explosion, and it was not sustained. It spewed some ash possibly a couple of kilometres up the air. The ash is now drifting to the east-southeast." 
 
 The department closed the popular Tongariro Alpine Crossing walking track and staff and police urged people hiking the crossing to leave the mountain as quickly as possible. 
 
 An eruption earlier this year sent rocks smashing into a trampers hut. 
 
 The crossing would reopen once GNS Science had given the all clear. 
 
 GNS Science said a plume of smoke from the Te Maari Crater, on the northern side of Tongariro, was captured on web camera about 1.30pm (1130 AEDT). A light wind was blowing it towards the Kaimanawa Ranges to the east. 
 
 The eruption prompted the volcanic alert level to be raised to "minor eruptive activity'' and the aviation colour code to red - "eruption is forecast to be imminent and significant ash emission into the atmosphere likely''. 
 
 A spokeswoman for Airways, the organisation responsible for air traffic management, said flights over the central North Island were being diverted away from the volcano. 
 
 There were clear skies in the area and pilots could see the eruption smoke. 
 
 Airways was waiting on more information from GNS before deciding if aircraft would be diverted even further from the volcano. 
 
 Last week, GNS warned there was increased activity underneath nearby Mt Ruapehu. 
 
 In August, the upper Te Maari Crater erupted for the first time in more than a century, sending rocks falling within 1km of the crater, damaging Ketetahi Hut - one of four hikers' huts on the mountain. 
 
 Light ash fell as far away as Taupo and Napier, while the smell of gas - similar to the "rotten eggs'' smell experienced in Rotorua - had drifted to Wellington. 
 
 TONGARIRO FACTS AND FIGURES 
 
 
 
 November 21, 2012 - eruption, ash plume from Te Maari Crater 
 
 
 
 August 6, 2012 - eruption, first since 1897. Rocks and ash ejected from Te Maari Crater with ash falling in Napier, 122km away 
 
 
 
 The Tongariro volcano is a massive complex of volcanic cones formed by at least 12 vents erupting over more than 275,000 years 
 
 
 
 Mt Tongariro itself is a complex of craters that have been active at different periods 
 
 
 
 Mt Tongariro is the northern-most of three volcanoes that includes Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu 
 
 
 
 Geologists describe Tongariro as an "active stratovolcano'', or composite cone, made up of alternating layers of ash and lava flow 
 
 
 
 Tongariro in Maori means "fire carried away or seized by the cold south wind'' 
 
 
 
 Popular walking track Tongariro Alpine Crossing bypasses the volcano 
 
 
 
 Parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed in the Tongariro National Park, where Mt Ngauruhoe was cast as Mt Doom 
 
 
 
 Sources: GNS Science and Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 
 
 with wires 

 In this photo released by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) smoke billowing out of Te Maari crater on Mount Tongariro, New Zealand after a brief eruption Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012.... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) smoke billowing out of Te Maari crater on Mount Tongariro, New Zealand after a brief eruption Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012.... (Associated Press) 
 
 A New Zealand volcano erupted with a brief blast of dark ash Wednesday, canceling flights but causing no significant damage. Schoolchildren and dozens of other hikers who were walking on trails along the mountain's base were safe. 
 
 The eruption of Mount Tongariro, its second in less than four months, sent a dark ash plume about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) into the sky. Authorities issued a no-fly alert above the mountain located in the sparsely populated area of central North Island. 
 
 National carrier Air New Zealand advised travelers that some of its flights could be delayed or canceled because of the eruption. Airline spokeswoman Brigitte Ransom said two flights had been canceled by midafternoon. 
 
 The New Zealand Herald reported that about 100 middle-school students and teachers were safe after they were hiking on the Tongariro Track at the base of the volcano when it erupted. Dozens more adults hiking in the region were also uninjured. 
 
 Tongariro National Park has three active volcanoes, is a popular tourist destination and was the backdrop for many scenes in "The Lord of the Rings" movies. 
 
 Civil defense authorities were advising people in the region to remain indoors and shut their windows to avoid the ash, which could be a health hazard. 
 
 Tony Hurst, a volcanologist with GNS Science, said the eruption lasted about five minutes and was unexpected, although scientists had placed the volcano on a higher alert after it erupted in August for the first time in more than a century. 
 
 Hurst said the dark ash indicated that magma pressure deep underground caused the eruption. A steam-driven eruption typically produces white ash. 
 
 New Zealand lies on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" and has frequent geothermal and seismic activity.
– Mount Tongariro, a neighbor of the New Zealand volcano used as "Mount Doom" in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, erupted today, the Australian reports. No significant damage was reported, and dozens of hikers—including schoolchildren—who were on trails near the mountain's base are safe. But flights have been canceled, and more could be affected; some had worried that could impact next week's world premiere of The Hobbit. Tongariro National Park was the backdrop for quite a few LOTR scenes, the AP notes.