Exploding Landscapes
New Zealand is a spectacular land shaped by cataclysmic events.
The volcanic cones that punctuate the countryside mark where the earth’s molten interior has burst through cracks in the thin crust. The country straddles the collision zone where the Indian and Pacific tectonic plates meet. This collision buckles and ruptures the landscape.
[ more about the ring of fire ]
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| Here's what you'll see when you arrive at White Island by helicopter - an altogether awesome view. |
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Although parts of the country are ancient, much of it has emerged from the sea only in the past 10,000 years. And it is still changing. Just off the North Island’s East Coast, a smouldering peak rises from the Pacific like a broken tooth. In places the crater wall is only a few metres above sea level. White Island is a sputtering baby volcano, waiting to add its chapter to New Zealand's unfolding story. From here it's only a short helicopter flight over mainland beaches to the summit of Mount Tarawera, blown apart in a series of huge explosions just over 100 years ago. A giant scar 19 km long still seems almost as raw as if the explosion was last year.
The area between here and Rotorua, 29 kilometres away, remains alive with volcanic vents, geysers, and boiling mud. To the west lie more ancient, and larger scars.
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