<- Homepage: Volcanoes: Our sleeping mounga in Taranaki field trip
Taranaki Volcano an iwi perspective
Meet Wharehoka from Taranaki Iwi Trust, discover more about the mātauranga of this active volcano and how it shapes the lives of iwi living in this rohe.
- How does Taranaki Mounga influence the lives of Māori living in this area?
- How can mātauranga Māori help us to prepare for natural hazards?
Taranaki the volcano
Drive up to the Stratford Plateau on the eastern side of Taranaki Mounga. Take a closer look at this active volcano and find out more about how it formed.
- What type of volcano is Taranaki and how has it erupted in the past?
- What volcanic features can you see in the video and how did these form?
Monitoring a volcano
Visit a volcanic hazard monitoring site on the northern side of Taranaki Mounga. Talk to Shane a volcanologist from the University of Auckland about how volcanoes are monitored and what the warning signs of an eruption might be.
- How do scientists monitor volcanoes?
- Take a look at GeoNet to see the current volcanic alert levels and where there have been recent earthquakes.
Volcanic ashfall effects
Meet Lena a PhD student at the University of Auckland and look for tephra layers in a road cutting near Dawson Falls on Taranaki Mounga.
- What can these tephra layers tell us about past eruptions?
- What impacts does ashfall have on people and how can we manage these impacts?
Look inside a hummock
Drive through hummocky terrain and see the effects of past volcanic debris avalanches on the Taranaki landscape.
- Describe how these hummocks form and how they have shaped this landscape
- How common are these debris avalanches and which areas are they most likely to affect?
Taranaki lahar deposits
Look back in time at layers of lahar deposits in the Ōpunake coastal cliffs. Find out what these layers tell us about past eruptions and why these mudflows are a common volcanic hazard in Taranaki.
- What are the two most common volcanic hazards in Taranaki and why?
- What have scientists learned from these lahar deposits?
Volcanic rock deposits
Go caving at a secret location in Taranaki to find out how hot springs can create travertine, a unique type of limestone. See how scientists are using this rock to learn about past Taranaki eruptions.
- How does travertine form?
- What can this rock tell us about past Taranaki eruptions?
Focus on fiction to prepare for reality
Meet students from Stratford High School to see how they have learnt about Taranaki Mounga and how they are preparing for future volcanic hazards.
- Imagine you are in Taranaki when the volcano becomes active and the volcanic alert level has increased. Write creatively to describe what this might be like.
Taranaki building resilience to natural hazards
Visit the Taranaki Emergency Management Office. Look at what will happen if Mount Taranaki erupts and how we can be more resilient to natural hazards.
- What natural hazards are there in the area where you live?
- How can you prepare for these hazards?
