Mount Ruapehu, active volcano and highest peak (9,176 feet [2,797 m]) on North Island, New Zealand, in Tongariro National Park. Mount Ruapehu is situated on the Taupo Plateau, which rises 2,000 to 3,000 feet (about 600 to 900 m) above sea level, Ruapehu erupted in 1945–46 and again in 1995–96. The volcano is forested below its line of permanent snow cover. Above the line, glaciers flow from the peak. Within the crater lies a lake, which is drained by the Whangaehu River. Ruapehu is the most southerly of the large volcanic cones within the park,
