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WONDERS OF NATURE
Tongariro. Nature miracle
One of the first national parks in the world - Tongariro - is located on the central plateau of the North Island of New Zealand, Wellington County. The national park occupies 765 sq. km of a mountainous region with three active and extinct volcanoes. The reserve performs two functions: the preservation of the nature of the volcanic region of the North Island and the use of the territory for tourism and skiing.
Since ancient times, the Maori people considered this land sacred, it was impossible to engage in any economic activity there. In 1887, the leaders of the local tribes presented a sacred site with an area of more than 2,6 thousand hectares as a gift to the nation. In 1894, on the basis of this land, a national park was created on the territory of 67,4 thousand hectares. The road from Palmerston North to Tongariro first passes through developed agricultural territory: pasture meadows are divided by light metal fences into squares of the same size. Sheep and cows graze inside the fenced areas. Then tourists have to wade through the volcanic plain, composed of young lava and covered with ash. Mountains (2000–2500 m above sea level) of a cone shape rise right there, their peaks are covered with eternal snow. The New Zealanders call this area a desert, but it is a hilly plain covered with thickets of taseka - low plants with hard, small reddish-yellow leaves. Only the complete absence of people resembles a desert. While driving through this territory, you will not meet a single village, not a single farm, or sheep traditional for New Zealand, since animals do not eat tasek. Part of this "desert" belongs to the reserve. However, even the one left for the use of the local Maori population is essentially idle (natural pastures are of poor quality, and there are no watering places). Gradually, this area is also being mastered by man: English settlers specially grow European heather here in order to subsequently hunt Scottish hazel grouse; pine plantations are expanding. The main attraction of the park is the volcanoes Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, Tongariro, covered with snow caps. All three volcanoes are active. But if Tongariro and Ruapehu have been dormant in recent years, then a cloud of smoke hangs over Ngauruhoe all the time. Volcano Ruapehu is the highest mountain in the North Island (2797 m). Translated into Russian, its name means "thundering abyss". In its crater there is a hot lake, which disappears during the revival of the volcano. The water is warm, and the banks are covered with ice and snow. In winter, when skiers come to Ruapehu, there are brave souls who dare to swim in the warm water. But the administration of the reserve prudently reminds tourists that the water in the lake can suddenly boil. From time to time, the volcano shows its obstinate character. So, in March 1945, an island appeared on the lake, and four months later a huge dome of black lava formed in its place. There were powerful explosions. By December, the eruption stopped, after which a crater with a diameter of more than 300 m remained, and it gradually began to fill with water. This eruption reminded of itself with a grand catastrophe that occurred eight years later. It turns out that during the volcanic eruption, a drain was filled up, through which excess water in the lake usually poured out. The warm water that accumulated in the lake eroded part of the shore, and the stream rushed down the slopes of the volcano. He just became the cause of the disaster that occurred on December 23, 1953. On this day, on the route Wellington - Auckland, there was an express train, overcrowded with passengers in a hurry for Christmas. But as the train passed over the bridge over the Wuhangaehu River, it crashed into a wall of water, ice and mud. The water current demolished the bridge, and the entire train collapsed into the river. 154 people died. So Ruapehu is not to be trifled with. But people sometimes forget that a volcano can be active. Now on the slope of the volcano, at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level, a village has grown with tourist bases, shops, cafes. Volcano Ngauruhoe (2291 m) is the most active active volcano in New Zealand. During strong eruptions in 1949 and 1954, the volcano threw out red-hot blocks the size of a one-story house from its bowels, and released flows of boiling lava. Volcano Tongariro (1974 m) is the oldest and least active, on its top there is a system of craters, and hot springs of Ketetakhi beat on the northern slopes. Its last eruption was in 1896. Only one of its seven craters can be seen jets of steam. There is a hot lake and numerous hot springs. An interesting Maori legend is dedicated to these three volcanoes, which I. Zheleznova and I. Lebedev told about in their book "Kiwi": "In ancient times, the Mountains lived near Taupo, in the very middle of Maui Fish. They lived in friendship and harmony. worked together, feasted together, had fun together. But then they began to quarrel. The younger ones could not stand it and left: some to the south, others to the north. Only Tongariro, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Taranaki remained. Tongariro took Pihangu as his wife, a beautiful little Mountain that lived nearby. Their children were Snow, Hail, Rain and Bad Weather. Pihanga loved the gray-haired Tongariro and was faithful to him. She did not want to listen to Taranaki, who sought her love. But Taranaki persisted. Then the enraged Tongariro rushed at him. Taranaki he fled. In one night he reached the very ends of the earth. There he stands to this day. Taranaki no longer fears the wrath of Tongariro, but sometimes covers his brow with a veil of fog to hide his tears: he yearns for Pihanga. And when Tonga Riro remembers Taranaki's insolence, a flame of anger boils in his chest, and a heavy cloud of black smoke rises from his peak. Landscapes of various types are presented on the territory of the park: forest-shrub thickets, shrub wastelands, steppe pastures, etc. A well-developed forest is a mixed subtropical forest of exotic tree species and dense thickets of tree-like and herbaceous ferns relatively little changed by man. There are mixed forests of various types of beech, red pine and other trees and treeless plains. Many epiphytes and plants with aerial roots grow here. On the mountains, at a level above 850 m, there are forests of silver and mountain beech (small-leaved evergreen form). At an altitude of about 1600 m there is a snow line. In the park, in its central part, a small alpine botanical garden is organized, where 1 species of plants found only in New Zealand are collected on an area of about 450 hectare. There are many interesting birds in the park, including the red-fronted parrot, falcon, blue duck, etc. The northern kiwi lives in Tongariro - a nocturnal bird, a relative of the ostrich, the size of a chicken, without wings and tail, with a long beak. The bird is covered with brown feathers resembling long thick hair. It is no larger than a chicken, but its beak is long (up to 20 cm) - it serves as a support for it when the bird is resting. The beak of a kiwi resembles that of a woodcock. The nostrils open at the very end of the beak and lead to the developed olfactory cavities. The base of the beak is equipped with sensitive bristles - vibrissae, with the help of which the kiwi easily finds worms underground. These birds do not fly, do not climb trees. They sleep all day, huddled in a secluded place, and go hunting at night. Absorb a lot of worms and larvae, but never drink anything. Kiwi is a kind of record holder among birds: its egg weighs up to 500 g - this is about four times more than one would expect from a bird weighing 3–3,5 kg. Some scientists believe that such large egg sizes are the result of the origin of these birds, because the kiwi evolved as a dwarf form of the extinct New Zealand moa: the birds decreased in size, but the size of their eggs remained the same. An egg laid by a bird (only one egg per year) is incubated by a male kiwi for two and a half months, while he loses a third of his weight. Later, the male himself raises the chick. Kiwi does not sing, the only thing the bird is capable of is to pronounce "kiui" thinly and drawlingly. This sound gave it its name. The kiwi has become the emblem of New Zealand. His image can be seen on geographical maps, brochures, postcards, album and book bindings, numerous souvenirs, jewelry. The silhouette of the symbolic bird is adjacent to the profile of the English queen on New Zealand coins. By the way, kiwi is called jokingly and the New Zealanders themselves. Other native species of birds also live in the forests of the national park: white-eyes, honeyeaters, carnivorous and fan-tailed pigeons, parrots, herbivorous green nestor. There are, although rare, birds that were considered extinct - flightless shepherds. Moose, wild pigs, rabbits and hares are also found in these parts. Deer brought by Europeans live (in general, there are from 600 to 800 thousand of them on the New Zealand Islands). These deer cause great damage to forests, so they are not protected. Moreover, hunting for them is encouraged. Even special groups of hunters are being created to shoot animals. Tongariro is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, with more than 80 tourists visiting it during the year, and 5 or more during the skiing season. There are hotels, motels, clubs. The tourist center of the area is a large hotel "Chateau", built in 1929, but later reconstructed. Nearby are a tourist camp, a small popular science museum, shops, workshops, etc. Tongariro has picnic areas and ski slopes. Runways for small planes have been set up. Numerous routes have been developed for tourists, climbers and skiers. Author: Yudina N.A.
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