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An aerial sweep of the closed area around Mount Ruapehu crater lake, Te Wai ā-moe, was canceled due to bad weather.
The area within the 2 km exclusion zone is closed due to the increased risk of eruption as the volcanic alert level had risen to level 2, indicating moderate to high volcanic unrest.
The Department of Conservation had planned to take advantage of a scheduled helicopter flight to conduct a quick aerial sweep of the area, Tongariro operations manager Connie Norgate said.
However, due to weather conditions, they will no longer conduct air traffic control on Tuesday.
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Nava Fedaeff
An aerial view of Crater Lake atop New Zealand’s largest active volcano, Mount Ruapehu [file photo].
“It is highly unlikely that visitors will be within the 2 km exclusion zone due to weather conditions and the forecast, so the DOC does not intend to do any monitoring at this time,” Norgate said.
The signage was displayed in the Whakapapa, Tūroa and Tukino ski areas, according to a statement on its website.
Mount Tongariro and the Tongariro Alpine Pass were unaffected by the increase in volcanic disturbances on Mount Ruapehu and remain open.
Their priority was protecting public safety, so they asked visitors to respect the exclusion zone for their own safety, Norgate said.
“In VAL 2 there is an increased risk of eruption, so it is important that people take this advice seriously.
“The Tongariro National Park is an active volcanic area, so eruptions can occur with little or no warning.
Supplied
The area was closed around Mount Ruapehu after the rise in the volcanic level.
“The closer people are to the active volcanic vents in the park, the greater the risk.”
He said the DOC and GNS were in regular communication and that if the unrest continues to escalate and the likelihood of an eruption increases, they would consider extending the shutdown.
This would include the entire danger zone of the summit, which is within a radius of 3 km from the center of the crater lake – Te Wai ā-moe – Norgate said.
While the alert level had been raised, on-duty volcanologist Michael Rosenberg said Stuff on Monday, the signs, and the rise to alert levels, were certainly “not an indication that an eruption was on the way.”
The crater lake continues to warm and is now at 43 ° C, with bursts of volcanic tremors and a marked increase in the amount of gas that passes through the crater lake.
However, since 2007, the temperature of the crater lake has exceeded 40 ° C several times, without causing an eruption.
Level 2 indicates that the main hazards are those expected during volcanic disturbances; steam discharge, volcanic gas, earthquakes, landslides, and hydrothermal activity. While primarily associated with environmental hazards, eruptions can still occur with little to no warning.
