AS 91240 NCEA LEVEL 2 - LARGE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT - TONGARIRO VOLCANIC CENTRE - LOCATION, SIZE, ACCESS.

1. AS 91240 - THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LARGE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
1. LOCATION, SIZE, ACCESS

2. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Environments
• May be natural and / or cultural.
• They have particular characteristics and features which can be the
result of natural and / or cultural processes.
• The particular characteristics of an environment may be similar to
and / or different from another.
• A cultural environment includes people and / or the built
environment.

3. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Perspectives
Ways of seeing the world that help explain differences in decisions
about, responses to, and interactions with environments.
Perspectives are bodies of thought, theories, or world views that shape
people’s values and have built up over time.
They involve people’s perceptions (how they view and interpret
environments) and viewpoints (what they think) about geographic
issues.
Perceptions and viewpoints are influenced by people’s values (deeply
held beliefs about what is important or desirable).

4. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Processes
A sequence of actions, natural and / or cultural, that shape and change
environments, places, and societies.
Some examples of geographic processes include erosion, migration,
desertification, and globalisation.

5. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Patterns
May be spatial: the arrangement of features on the earth’s surface; or
temporal: how characteristics differ over time in recognisable ways.

6. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Interaction
Involves elements of an environment affecting each other and being
linked together.
Interaction incorporates movement, flows, connections, links, and
interrelationships, which work together, and may be one- or two-way
interactions.
Landscapes are the visible outcome of interactions. Interaction can
bring about environmental change.

7. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Change
Involves any alteration to the natural and / or cultural environment.
Change can be spatial and / or temporal.
Change is a normal process in both natural and cultural environments.
It occurs at varying rates, at different times, and in different places.
Some changes are predictable, recurrent or cyclic, while others are
unpredictable or erratic.
Change can bring about further change, and some changes may be
perceived as positive and others not desirable.

8. RELEVANT GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
Sustainability
Involves adopting ways of thinking and behaving that allow individuals,
groups, and societies to meet their needs and aspirations without
preventing future generations from meeting theirs.
Sustainable interaction with the environment may be achieved by
preventing, limiting, minimising, or correcting environmental damage
to water, air, and soil, as well as considering ecosystems and problems
related to waste, noise, and visual pollution.

9. A LARGE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
A “large natural environment” means a distinctive part of the Earth’s
surface defined by its common natural characteristics (mountain,
desert, forest, river valley) that occurs at a national, regional, or
continental scale.
We will analyse the natural environment from the following POV’s:
• Natural characteristics
• Processes
• Interaction pf people with the natural environment

10. NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS
Natural characteristics (elements) of an environment include:
• Landforms (Relief)
• Climate
• Soils
• Vegetation

11. PROCESSES
Processes include:
• Climatic processes
• Tectonic and other
internal processes
• Erosion
• Transportation
• Deposition
• Other surface processes

12. INTERACTION OF PEOPLE WITH THE NE
Interaction of people with the natural environment may include:
• Cultural interaction
• Economic interaction
• Political interaction

13. FIRST NATIONAL PARK IN NEW ZEALAND
• Tongariro was the first national park
formed in New Zealand, and the
fourth in the world.
• It was the first national park in the
world to be gifted by a country's
indigenous people, on 23 September
1887.
• When established the original size of
Tongariro National Park was 2,640
hectares. It has gradually
increased to its present size of
79,596 hectares.

14. VISITORS AND ACCESS
• Today, one million people visit
Tongariro National Park each year.
• Despite the popular ski fields on
Mount Ruapehu, there are more
visitors in summer than winter
due to the excellent hiking
opportunities.
• The park's central location means
it is easy to access from both
Auckland and Wellington and
other locations in the North
Island.

15. MOUNTAIN SUMMITS
Tongariro National Park is centered around three active volcanoes:
• Tongariro 1967 m
• Ngauruhoe 2287 m
• Ruapehu 2797 m
Mount Ruapehu has several peaks:
• Tahurangi 2797 m (the summit and highest point in the North Island)
• Paretetaitonga 2751 m
• Te Heuheu 2732 m
• Girdlestone 2658 m
• Mitre 2591 m

16. LOCATION
Tongariro National Park covers 786 km2
stretching between 175° 22' and 175°
48' East and 38° 58' and 39° 25' South in
the heart of the North Island of NZ.
It is just a few kilometres west-
southwest of Lake Taupo. It is 330 km
south of Auckland by road, and 320 km
north of Wellington.
It contains a considerable part of the
North Island Volcanic Plateau. Directly
to the east stand the hills of the
Kaimanawa range. The Whanganui River
rises within the park and flows through
Whanganui National Park to the west.

17. LOCATION
Most of the park is
located in the Ruapehu
District (Manawatu-
Wanganui Region),
although the northeast is
in the Taupo District
(Waikato Region, or
Hawke's Bay region to the
north).
As a curiosity, their exact
antipodes coincide with
Cabañeros National Park,
in Spain.

18. SIZE Tongariro National Park stretches around the
massif of the three active volcanoes Mount
Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount
Tongariro. The Pihanga Scenic Reserve, containing
Lake Rotopounamu, Mount Pihanga and the
Kakaramea-Tihia Massif, though separate from the
main park area, is still part of the national park.
On the park borders are the towns of Turangi,
National Park Village and Ohakune. Further away
are Waiouru and Raetihi. Within the park borders,
the only settlements are the tourism-based village
at Whakapapa Village which consists solely of ski
accommodation. Two Maori kainga (settlements)
Papakai and Otukou are not part of the park but lie
on the shores of Lake Rotoaira between the
Pihanga Scenic Reserve and the main park area.

19. ACCESS
The bulk of Tongariro National Park is
surrounded by well-maintained roads that
roughly follow the park borders and provide
easy access.
In the west, State Highway 4 passes National
Park village, and in the east, State Highway 1,
known for this stretch as the Desert Road,
runs parallel to the Tongariro River.
State Highway 47 joins these two highways
to the north of much of the park, although it
bisects the Pihanga Scenic Reserve. The
southern link is State Highway 49. The North
Island Main Trunk railway from Auckland to
Wellington passes National Park village.