THE ACTIVE VOLCANOES OF NEW ZEALAND 703 



these explosions are occasionally quite violent. The explosion 

 which threw out the cloud seen in the photograph, and which 

 occurred on October 3, 1914, was said by some of the residents 

 of Waiouru, twenty-five miles distant, who witnessed it, to be one 

 of the strongest outbursts observed for at least two years. Up to 

 the time this occurred, on the date mentioned, no sign of activity 

 was seen around the mountain top, until at 9:30 a.m. this cloud 

 was suddenly shot up about 1,000 feet before being drifted away 



Fig. 8. — Cloud of dust and steam blown from Ngauruhoe, October 3, 1914. 

 This explosion was much more violent than usual. 



by a terrific wind, which was blowing at the time and prevented the 

 cloud from rising to a great height. 



Fumaroles occur around the steep walls of the main crater and 

 well down the north side of the cone. On the northeast side of the 

 cone was seen some reddish, highly vesicular, ropy lava, which has 

 every appearance of being quite recent. As mentioned above, it 

 has been stated by a number of writers that this stream was 

 erupted in the year 1869, but not all New Zealand geologists are 

 in accord on this subject. 



Tongariro. — There are many features which make it appear 

 that Ruapehu and Tongariro are major volcanoes with Ngauruhoe 



