PHOTOS: Mt. Tongariro eruption
By Duncan Wilson
Mt. Tongariro has erupted for the first time since 1897, throwing ash into the air and prompting a threat warning for the central North Island.
A member of the public alerted police shortly before midnight, stating that they could see "flame-like explosions" and an ash cloud coming from "a new hole in the side of the mountain".
Turangi local John described the beginning of the eruption to Marcus Lush as a huge rumbling, before he stepped outside and saw a huge plume of ash.
The guys at Adrift Outdoors have taken these photographs of the eruption overnight.
Ash and smoke billows from Mt. Tongariro during its first eruption for over a century. Photo: Adrift Outdoors Ltd- Guided Tongariro Alpine Crossing, +64 7 8922751.
Smoke and ash pours from the new vent on the side of Mt. Tongariro. Photo: Adrift Outdoors Ltd- Guided Tongariro Alpine Crossing, +64 7 8922751.
Plumes of ash and smoke crawl into the low cloud on the side of Mt. Tongariro during its eruption of August 7, 2012. Photo: Adrift Outdoors Ltd- Guided Tongariro Alpine Crossing, +64 7 8922751.