Mount Tongariro
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Image:NZ-Tongariro.png Mount Tongariro is a volcanic mountain complex in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres to the southwest of Lake Taupo, and is the northernmost of the three active volcanoes that dominate the landscape of the central North Island.
The volcanic massif, often simply referred to as Tongariro, has a height of 1978 metres (Mount Ngauruhoe). It first erupted about 260,000 years ago, and has erupted as recently as 1974 to 1975. The volcano consists of at least 12 cones; Ngauruhoe, while often regarded as a separate mountain, is geologically a vent of Tongariro. Red Crater last erupted ash in 1926 and contains active fumaroles.
Tongariro is in the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's first national park and one of the earliest in the world. It given to the nation in 1887 by Te Heuheu Tukino IV (Horonuku), paramount chief of the Maori Ngati Tuwharetoa iwi in order to preserve its natural beauty. The park also includes the peaks of Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu, both of which lie to the southwest of Tongariro. The national park is a dual World Heritage Area for its outstanding natural and intangible cultural values.
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The popular hiking route called the Tongariro Crossing passes between Tongariro and Ngauruhoe.