Mt. Ruapehu

Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park. The North Island's major skifields and only glaciers are on its slopes.
Ruapehu is one of the world's most active volcanoes and the largest active volcano in New Zealand. It is the highest point in the North Island and includes three major peaks: Tahurangi (2,797 m), Te Heuheu (2,755 m) and Paretetaitonga (2,751 m). The deep, active crater is between the peaks and fills with a crater lake between major eruptions.Ruapehu is largely composed of andesite and began erupting at least 250,000 years ago. In recorded history, major eruptions have been about 50 years apart, in 1895, 1945 and 1995–1996. Minor eruptions are frequent, with at least 60 since 1945. Some of the minor eruptions in the 1970s generated small ash falls and lahars (mudflows) that damaged ski fields.
Between major eruptions, a warm acidic crater lake forms, fed by melting snow. Major eruptions may completely expel the lake water. Where a major eruption has deposited a tephra dam across the lake's outlet, the dam may collapse after the lake has refilled and risen above the level of its normal outlet, the outrush of water causing a large lahar. In 2000, the ERLAWS system was installed on the mountain to detect such a collapse and alert the relevant authorities.

Seismic activity in New Zealand

New Zealand’s earthquakes originate from the collision between the Australian and Pacific plates.New Zealand is the visible part of a largely submerged small continent. The islands New Zealanders live on are the continent’s highlands, thrust above sea level by the collision of the Australian and Pacific plates. The boundary between these two moving plates runs diagonally through the country.
The North Island and its continental shelves, which lie under the sea, are on the Australian Plate, as is the land west of the Alpine Fault in the South Island. The rest of the South Island is part of the Pacific Plate. The pattern of earthquakes in New Zealand reflects the activity of the plates along their boundaries.The huge plates that make up the surface of the planet have two main types of rocky outer layer, or crust. Beneath the floor of the deep oceans is oceanic crust: this is about 8 kilometres thick, and made of dense rock. But most land areas and their offshore continental shelves are made of continental crust. This averages 35 kilometres in thickness and is made of lighter, relatively buoyant rock. Both types of crust may occur on a single plate.Where a plate with thin oceanic crust collides with a plate with continental crust, the plate with the ocean crust is forced down under the continental plate and into the subsurface – a process called subduction. Friction, however, prevents the down-going plate from sliding under smoothly. As it descends it drags against the overlying plate, and eventually the crust of the overlying plate fractures, shifts or crumples, causing frequent shallow earthquakes.
Much more rarely, a large area of the down-going oceanic plate overcomes friction and abruptly shoves its way further under the overlying plate. This can produce very powerful earthquakes, which scientists call subduction earthquakes. Some of the largest earthquakes in the world, with magnitudes greater than 9, have been subduction earthquakes. Subduction is responsible for earthquakes in many New Zealand regions:
Ocean crust of the Pacific Plate is descending under the eastern North Island and Marlborough. Here the land has splintered into long blocks separated by major faults. Along these faults, the blocks have intermittently shifted both horizontally and vertically. Some have been tilted upward, forming mountains such as the Tararuas in the North Island and the Kaikōuras in the South Island. Movement on these long faults has produced several earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater, such as the 1848 earthquakes along the Awatere Fault in Marlborough, the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, and the 1888 earthquake along the Hope Fault in North Canterbury.
In the central North Island the brittle crust of the overlying plate is being pulled apart, and parts of the region are subsiding. The 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake occurred in this area. Small earthquakes, related to volcanic activity rather than crustal stress, also occur in the central North Island volcanic zone.
Near the south-western end of the South Island, the roles of the plates are reversed. Here the Australian Plate has a thin crust of oceanic rock. Just offshore from Fiordland, it descends beneath the thicker continental crust of the South Island. The magnitude 7.2 Fiordland earthquake in August 2003 was a subduction earthquake – the result of the oceanic rock under the Tasman Sea moving up to 5 metres inward under the South Island.
Subduction also causes very deep earthquakes. These earthquakes occur within the sinking oceanic crust as the stiff slabs are bent downward. There are distinctive zones of deep earthquakes beneath the North Island and Marlborough, and under Fiordland.In the central South Island, the colliding Australian and Pacific Plates are both thick continental crust, so one plate cannot sink under the other. Instead, the crust of the Pacific Plate is being buckled, broken and forced upward, creating the Southern Alps. The boundary between the plates is the huge Alpine Fault. Earthquakes along the Alpine Fault have often been very large – the last occurred in about 1717 AD, with movement along 375 kilometres of the fault. East of the Alpine Fault, earthquakes also occur on numerous smaller faults that criss-cross the region. There have been earthquakes in the magnitude 7 range near Arthur’s Pass and Murchison in 1929 and Īnangahua in 1968.

The Tasman Glacier

The Tasman Glacier is the largest of several glaciers which flow south and east towards the Mackenzie Basin from the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island. It is by far, the largest of the glaciers flowing towards Lake Pukaki from the Southern Alps. It is about 25 kilometres long and as much as 3 kilometres wide and is entirely within the borders of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. The depth at its most is 600 meters. The terminal face of the Tasman Glacier at Lake Tasman
The Tasman flows south from the southern slopes of the Minarets peak, along the eastern flank of Aoraki/Mount Cook, the peak of which is only five km from the glacier. It is almost met partway along its length by the meltwater of the Murchison Glacier, which approaches from the northeast before turning to flow beside the Tasman Glacier outside the moraine wall.
The waters from both these glaciers pool at the end of the glacier in Lake Tasman, before flowing south to join the outflow from the nearby Hooker and Mueller Glaciers in the wide valley of the Tasman River, whose braided streams flow south into Lake Pukaki. They eventually flow into the Waitaki River and to the Pacific Ocean north of Oamaru.

Volcanoes in New Zealand

The New Zealand area is characterised by both a high density of active volcanoes and a high frequency of eruptions. Volcanic activity in New Zealand occurs in six areas (see figure below), five in the North Island and one offshore in the Kermadec Islands.Volcanoes in New Zealand are not randomly scattered, but are grouped into areas of more intensive and long-lived activity, whose position (and the composition of the lavas erupted) can be related to the large-scale movement of the tectonic plates in the New Zealand region. Most New Zealand volcanism in the last 1.6 million years has occurred in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ). The zone is an elongate area that extends from White Island to Ruapehu. The Taupo Volcanic Zone is extremely active on a world scale: it includes three frequently active cone volcanoes (Ruapehu, Tongariro/Ngauruhoe, White Island), and two of the most productive calderas in the world (Okataina and Taupo).Volcanic Fields

Volcanic fields such as Auckland and Northland, are where small eruptions occur over a wide geographic area, and are spaced over long periods of time (thousands of years). Each eruption builds a new single new volcano, which does not erupt again. Mount Eden and Rangitoto Island are examples in Auckland.

Cone Volcanoes

Cone volcanoes such as Ruapehu, Egmont and Ngauruhoe are characterised by a succession of small-moderate eruptions from one location. The products from the successive eruptions over thousands of years build the cones.

Caldera Volcanoes

Caldera volcanoes such as Taupo and Okataina (which includes Tarawera) have a history of infrequent but moderate-large eruptions. The caldera forming eruptions create super craters 10-25 km in diameter and deposit cubic kilometres of ash and pumice.

The land of the Sheep....bah

Sheep and beef farm types and systems in New Zealand vary widely, according to land type, topography, climate, scale and farmer preference. Mainly situated on hill country in New Zealand, the majority of farms run both sheep and beef cattle, which complement each other in pasture based grazing systems. However, some farms have diversified and run deer or grow arable crops to reduce business risk. The meat, wool and other products derived from this farming sector are worth around NZ$7 billion a year, and account for approximately 20 per cent of New Zealand’s goods exports. Meat and Wool New Zealand Ltd estimates that there are 15 000 commercial sheep and beef cattle farms in New Zealand, most of which are owned and operated by farming families. Animals numbered 39.2 million sheep and 4.4 million beef cattle in June 2005, in effect a count of nine sheep and one beef cow for every person in New Zealand. Productivity within the sheep industry has risen over the past fifteen years, due largely to enhanced breeding mixes and improved lambing percentages. Higher returns for lamb meat relative to beef and deer have also influenced productivity gains. Lamb meat production increased by 15 per cent from 364 000 tonnes in 1989-90 (July–June) to 427 000 tonnes in 2004-05, despite a 35 per cent fall in sheep numbers. Similarly, beef production increased by 35 per cent between 1984-85 and 2004-05, despite a 3.6 per cent decline in stock levels and a 26 per cent increase in beef slaughter. The first Sheep were landed in New Zealand by Captain Cook in 1773. The Sheep population grew to 70.3 million in 1982 but has now declined to 43.1 million due to declining profits compared to other types of farming. That represents 12 sheep for every person in New Zealand There are 36,000 flocks of Sheep with an average flock size of 1400. The main breed farmed in New Zealand are Romney, an English breed. They are largely dual purpose wool/meat animals and their wool is predominantly strong. New Zealand is the world's largest producer of crossbred (stong wool) contributing 25% of the world's total. This is two and a half times as much as contributed by China, the next most significant producer of strong wool. This type of wool is used mainly in interior textiles such as carpets, upholstery, furnishings, bedding, and rugs. It is also used for handknitting yarn and blankets. New Zealand is a world leader in agricultural research and advisory services. Pastoral agriculture is practiced throughout New Zealand with beef cattle predominating in the Far North, dairying in Waikato and Taranaki, and Sheep farming with cattle in the hills and in the south of the North Island. In the South Island sheep farming is the main form of pastoral agriculture with a sprinkling of beef cattle farmed in the high and hill country and wetter flat areas and some dairying on the flat land of both coasts. Livestock are rarely housed, but feeding of small quantities of supplements such as hay and silage can occur, particularly in winter. Grass growth is seasonal, largely dependent on location and climatic fluctuations but normally occurs for between 8-12 months of the year. Stock are grazed in paddocks, often with moveable electric fencing around the farm. Lambing and calving are carefully managed to take full advantage of spring grass growth. Grasslands have been developed to the extent that the best sheep farms can carry up to 25 sheep per hectare throughout the year.
With a large population of sheep, New Zealand has become heavily polluted. Scientists in New Zealand are working to reduce the threat posed by one of the country's principle causes of global warming - flatulent sheep. Methane - produced by sheep and cows breaking wind - is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.Scientists in New Zealand, where 43% of greenhouse gases come from this sourceThe gas is produced by microbes in the animals' stomach and tests on sheep have so far shown that they could live without the microbes. Lambs born and raised in a sterile environment, without the microbes, have grown heathily . Now scientists have to find a way of safely removing the microbes from farmed sheep. As well as lowering greenhouse gases, researchers think removing the microbes could improve the performance of the animals. The methane produced is a loss of energy that could be directed into producing milk, wool or meat.

Where to find the Middle Earth, New Zealand of coarse!!!

New Zealand is known as Middle Earth for its Lord of the Rings trilogy. New Zealand born Peter Jackson filmed the entire three films in various locations around New Zealand.

This Academy Award winning trilogy of films (four Oscars for The Fellowship of the Ring, two Oscars for The Two Towers and 11 Oscars for The Return of the King - including Best Film and Best Director awards) showcased the skills of the cast and crew. One of the big winners however is New Zealand. It took two years to film the LOTR trilogy but millions of years to build the sets. For Peter Jackson, choosing New Zealand to shoot his three Tolkien films was logical. It was not just because he lives there, and the capital city Wellington (Wellywood) is home to his hi-tech digital studios Weta Digital and his film company Three Foot Six. It was because Jackson knew what other international film-makers have been discovering in the last few years, that "New Zealand is the best country in the world to shoot this film, because of the variety of locations we have".

Jackson and his team scoured New Zealand for the most beautiful and diverse areas. The rolling hills of Matamata became Hobbiton, while the volcanic region of Mt Ruapehu transformed into the fiery Mt. Doom where Sauron forged The Ring, and Queenstown, New Zealand's adventure capital, was the setting for numerous scenes including the Eregion Hills, and the Pillars of Argonath.

Jackson's special effects team turned New Zealand's already impressive landscape into a magical Middle Earth with the help of ground breaking digital computer wizardry, adding buildings and mountains where they have never been. New Zealand's creative talent came from far and wide. Around 2,000 people were employed during production; artisans including prop builders, set creators, make up artists and costume designers worked like elves to create Middle Earth. Kiwis Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger and their Weta Workshop team made tens of thousands of props, including armour, weaponry, household items, and 1,600 pairs of prosthetic feet and ears. Many of their sculptors and other staff have stayed on to produce Lord of the Rings collectable models. The Lord of the Rings was filmed over 274 days, using 350 purpose-built sets in more than 150 locations all over New Zealand (including 30 Department of Conservation sites). The use of conservation sites and National Parks meant Jackson had to employ a specialist lawyer to gain consent to film in protected areas. Filming in National Parks meant plants were uprooted to make room for the set, temporarily housed in big custom-made nurseries, then replanted at the end of the shoot. In Queenstown, the site of heavy battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings, up to 1100 people were on set each day. To protect plants from foot traffic, a massive amount of red carpet was laid. Location people also had to make sure they didn't destroy cultural symbols. Thousands of extras were brought in to join the internationally renowned cast of actors which includes Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Liv Tyler (Arwen) and Cate Blanchett (Galadriel). With New Zealand's capital, Wellington, home base for the stars for months on end, locals quickly got used to star spotting. The sight of "surfing hobbits" wasn't unusual with Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck), Sean Astin (Sam) and Billy Boyd (Pippin Took) among those who regularly took to New Zealand's numerous quality surf breaks. The popularity of Lord of the Rings has seen New Zealand tourism companies offer a wide range of tours that cover location sites and general sightseeing or adventure activities. For Tolkien fans and those with just a mild interest, these tours vary in length with many personalised Lord of the Rings options available. Check out the LOTR tour options now. The popularity of Lord of the Rings has seen New Zealand tourism companies offer a wide range of tours that cover location sites and general sightseeing or adventure activities. For Tolkien fans and those with just a mild interest, these tours vary in length with many personalised Lord of the Rings options available. Check out the LOTR tour options now. The Department of Conservation also provides detailed information on Lord of the Rings' locations in New Zealand, including GPS co-ordinates, links to Google maps, access roads, scene references and information about the DOC parks and reserves where filming took place.

New Zealand's latest history

Historically New Zealand enjoyed a high standard of living which relied on its strong relationship with the United Kingdom, and the resulting stable market for its commodity exports. New Zealand's economy was also built upon on a narrow range of primary products, such as wool, meat and dairy products. High demand for these products – such as the New Zealand wool boom of 1951 created sustained periods of economic prosperity. However, in 1973 the United Kingdom joined the European Community which effectively ended this particularly close economic relationship between the two countries. During the 1970s other factors such as the oil crises (1973 and 1979) undermined the viability of the New Zealand economy; which for periods before 1973 had achieved levels of living standards exceeding both Australia and Western Europe. These events led to a protracted and very severe economic crisis, during which living standards in New Zealand fell behind those of Australia and Western Europe, and by 1982 New Zealand was the lowest in per-capita income of all the developed nations surveyed by the World Bank.

Since 1984, successive governments have engaged in major macroeconomic restructuring, transforming New Zealand from a highly protectionist and regulated economy to a liberalised free-trade economy. These changes are commonly known as Rogernomics and Ruthanasia after Finance Ministers Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson. A recession began after the 1987 share market crash and caused unemployment to reach 10% in the early 1990s. Subsequently the economy recovered and New Zealand’s unemployment rate reached a record low of 3.4% in the December 2007 quarter, ranking fifth from twenty-seven OECD nations with comparable data. In 2009, New Zealand's economy ranked as the fifth freest in the world according the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom.

The current government's economic objectives are centred on pursuing free-trade agreements and building a "knowledge economy". On 7 April 2008, New Zealand and China signed the New Zealand China Free Trade Agreement, the first such agreement China has signed with a developed country. Ongoing economic challenges for New Zealand include a current account deficit of 7.9% of GDP, slow development of non-commodity exports and tepid growth of labour productivity. New Zealand has experienced a series of "brain drains" since the 1970s, as well as educated youth leaving permanently for Australia, Britain or the United States. "Kiwi lifestyle" and family/whanau factors motivates some of the expatriates to return, while career, culture, and economic factors tend to be predominantly 'push' components, keeping these people overseas. In recent years, however, a brain gain brought in educated professionals from poor countries, as well as Europe, as permanent settlers.

In 2003 New Zealand decriminalised the sex trade, and the bold experiment seems to be succeeding. The Economist magazine cited the New Zealand system as the world's "fairest", which allows sex workers to ply their trade more or less freely at home or in brothels or on the street. The new system protects prostitutes from violence while preventing abuse from brothel owners. "In New Zealand, prostitutes can fend for themselves" while in nations like the United States, brothel-owners have more power. A government report reckoned "only about 1% of women in the business were under the legal age of 18". The report noted New Zealand had particular advantages – "the country’s isolation and robust legal system make it relatively free from the problem of trafficking".

Since 2000, New Zealand's fashion industry has grown significantly, doubling exports within a ten year period, according the The Economist magazine. The nation now has "a vibrant and steadily expanding fashion industry, with some 50 established labels, up from a handful ten years ago, half of which sell abroad." Much of this activity is based in Auckland. Clothing exports in 2007 were $315 million, up from $194 million ten years earlier. This is a remarkable turnabout for a nation which has had a reputation for lackluster fashion – "Visiting diplomats have remarked upon the penchant among New Zealand women for short haircuts, backpacks and sensible shoes ... One ambassador accused them of dressing like soldiers; another said they looked as though they were going to a funeral."