Rangipo Desert

{{short description|Geographic feature in New Zealand}} {{Redirect|Rangipo|the racehorse|Rangipo (horse)}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2025}} {{Refimprove|date=March 2007}} {{Infobox landform | name = Rangipo Desert | native_name = {{Native name|mi|Te Onetapu}} | type = [[Volcanic desert]]  | image = Rangipo Desert 26.jpg | image_size = | alt = Sandy shrubland on an overcast day, with a snow-capped volcano and other hills in the distance | caption = The Rangipo Desert, with [[Mount Ngauruhoe]] and the Tongariro Massif in the background  | pushpin_map = New Zealand | pushpin_map_caption = Location of the Rangipo Desert in New Zealand | pushpin_map_alt = Map of New Zealand showing the Rangipo Desert in the central North Island | pushpin_relief = yes | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 10 | mapframe-point = none | mapframe-wikidata = yes | coordinates = {{coord|39.312|S|175.675|E|display=inline, title}} | coordinates_ref = <ref name="NZGB Te Onetapu">{{LINZ|55570|Te Onetapu|30 December 2024}}</ref>  | location = [[Ruapehu District]], New Zealand | range = | part_of = [[North Island Volcanic Plateau]]  | age = | orogeny = | formed_by = Volcanic eruptions and ashfall | geology =  | etymology = ''Te Onetapu'' translates from [[Māori language|Māori]] as "The sacred sand", referencing the killing of Taiteariki. ''Rangipo'' translates as "Place where the sky is dark", referencing ash clouds from nearby volcanoes.<ref name="NZGB Te Onetapu"/><ref name="NZGB Rangipo">{{LINZ|37935|Rangipo Desert|30 December 2024}}</ref> | nickname = | authority = [[New Zealand Geographic Board]]  | area =  | area_total_km2 = 100 | area_footnotes = <ref name="NZGeo">{{cite journal |last1=Cox |first1=Allan |title=Beyond the Desert Road |journal=[[New Zealand Geographic]] |date=Oct–Dec 1997 |issue=37 |url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/beyond-the-desert-road/ |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>  | length =  | width =  | depth =  | drop =  | height =   | elevation =  | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = | elevation_ref = | surface_elevation =  | surface_elevation_m = | surface_elevation_ft = | surface_elevation_ref = | highest_point = | highest_elevation = | highest_coords =   | volcanic_arc = [[Taupō Volcanic Zone]]  | topo = NZTopo50-BJ35 306452 | free_label_1 = | free_data_1 = | free_label_2 = | free_data_2 = | free_label_3 = | free_data_3 = }} '''Te Onetapu''' ({{IPAc-mi|lang|t|e|ˌ|o|n|e|ˈ|t|a|ˌ|p|u}}), commonly known as the '''Rangipo Desert''' ({{IPAc-mi|lang|ˌ|r|a|ng|i|ˌ|p|ō}}), is a barren [[volcanic desert|desert-like environment]] located in [[New Zealand]], located in the [[Ruapehu District]] on the [[North Island Volcanic Plateau]]; to the east of the three active peaks of [[Mount Tongariro]], [[Mount Ngauruhoe]], and [[Mount Ruapehu]], and to the west of the [[Kaimanawa Range]]. ==Etymology== Two main names have been given to the desert, both of which are derived from [[te reo Māori]] and describe the area's history. The first of these, Te Onetapu, is derived from the words {{lang|mi|one}} - beach or sand, and {{lang|mi|[[Tapu (Polynesian culture)|tapu]]}} - sacred. This name refers to the death of Taiteariki, an ancestor of the [[Ngāti Rangi]] [[iwi]] who was killed at a location in the desert in early Māori history after conflict arose between him and two children of Houmea, Tura and Rotuia.<ref name="NZGB Te Onetapu"/><ref>{{cite web |author1=Ngāti Rangi |author2=The Trustees of Te Tōtarahoe o Paerangi Trust |author3=The Crown |title=Rukutia Te Mana: Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims |url=https://assets.prod.ngatirangi.com/1_ngati_rangi_deed_of_settlement_version_for_ratification_c95338f4c6_e69ec84266.pdf |page=12 |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>

Following [[Pākehā]] settlement and expansion into the region, the desert became known as Rangipo, from the Māori words {{lang|mi|rangi}}, meaning sky, and {{lang|mi|pō}}, meaning night or darkness. This name references the story of [[Ngātoro-i-rangi]], a {{lang|mi|[[tohunga]]}} and ancestor of [[Ngāti Tūwharetoa]] who explored the region in search of land for his people. According to legend, Ngātoro-i-rangi saw explorers from the ''[[Tākitimu]]'' {{lang|mi|[[waka (canoe)|waka]]}} while camping on [[Mount Tongariro]], and pleaded to [[Ruaumoko]] for help defending the area from the encroachment. Ruaumoko responded by causing [[Mount Ngauruhoe]] to erupt, darkening the sky and enveloping the new party in smoke and ash.<ref name="NZGB Rangipo"/>

In 2019, the desert's original name of Te Onetapu was officially restored as part of a [[Treaty of Waitangi]] [[Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements|settlement]] between the Crown and Ngāti Rangi.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ngāti Rangi Claims Settlement Act 2019 No 40 (as at 12 April 2022), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0040/latest/whole.html |website=www.legislation.govt.nz |publisher=Parliamentary Counsel Office |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>

[[Image:Rangipo.jpg|thumb|left|Typical Rangipo scenery, looking west from the Desert Road]] ==Geography and climate== The Rangipo Desert receives {{convert|1500|-|2500|mm|abbr=on}} of rainfall per year, but resembles a desert because of its location on the volcanic plateau adjacent to and east of Ruapehu, poor [[soil quality]] and drying winds,<ref name="NZGeo"/> and also due to the mass sterilisation of seeds during a series of violent eruptions, particularly pyroclastic flows forming [[ignimbrite]] rocks about 20,000 years ago. The vegetation is low and sparse, consisting of mainly [[Tussock grasslands of New Zealand|tussock]] and [[snow grass]]es. The headwaters of many small streams, which later turn into large rivers, gouge deep serrated valleys through the unconsolidated ash and pumice-rich earth. The climate here is harsh and alpine, with close to 270 ground frosts per year in comparison with fewer than 30 in the coastal regions of [[Hawke's Bay Region|Hawke's Bay]], {{convert|80|km|abbr=on}} to the east. Heavy snowfalls - rarely seen in the rest of the island - are also a common occurrence in winter. Trampers and climbers in the area should be mindful of the extreme chill effect of the cold south wind which can produce [[wind chill factor]]s lowering the temperature below 0°C (32°F) for days on end.

Much of the desert lies at an altitude of over {{convert|600|m|abbr=on}}, and a considerable proportion of it is over {{convert|1000|m|abbr=on}} above sea level. Many of the North Island's largest rivers have their headwaters in the area, particularly around the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, the North Island's [[List of mountains of New Zealand by height|highest mountain]]. These include the [[Waikato River|Waikato]] and [[Whangaehu River]]s, as well as major tributaries of the [[Rangitikei River|Rangitikei]] and [[Whanganui River]]s.

==Human interaction== The region is largely uninhabited, possibly due to the unproductive nature of the extreme winter climate. One account of crossing the desert from an early Pākehā explorer in the region described it as "a most desolate and weird-looking spot... a fit place for [[Macbeth]]'s witches, or [[Faust|Faustus]]'s Brocken scene."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Colenso |first1=W. |title=Art. LVI.—"More Last Words": being an Appendix to several Papers read here during Past Sessions on the Volcanic Mountain-range of Tongariro and Ruapehu, with its adjoining District. |journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand |date=1893 |volume=26 |pages=483–498 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TPRSNZ1893-26.2.6.1.56#image-tab |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref> The town of [[Waiouru]], with its [[Waiouru Army Camp|army]] camp, lies to the south and much of the southern part of the desert is used for training purposes. To the north of the desert lies the [[List of correctional facilities in New Zealand#Tongariro.2FRangipo Prison|Rangipo prison farm]].

The desert is bisected by only one sealed road, a section of [[New Zealand State Highway 1|State Highway 1]] known as the ''Desert Road''. The road is closed with barrier arms for short periods most winters, due to severe snow storms and icy road conditions. Turangi emergency services monitor the northern part of the Desert Road, and the [[NZDF]] [[Military Police]] at Waiouru are responsible for the southern end. The boundary between the [[Waikato]] and [[Manawatū-Whanganui]] regions intersects the Desert Road at its summit, which at {{cvt|1074|m}} above sea level is the highest pass on the [[New Zealand State Highway network]].

The [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''Lord of the Rings'' films]] were shot in New Zealand, and the Black Gate of [[Mordor]] scenes [[Principal photography of The Lord of the Rings film series|were shot]] in the Rangipo Desert in 2000.

{{wide image|CentralPlateauNZ.jpg|1456px|View of the Rangipo Desert showing the three active peaks: Snow-capped [[Mount Ruapehu|Ruapehu]] (left), conical [[Ngauruhoe]] (centre) and broad-domed [[Tongariro]] (right)}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://sand-boarding.com/new-zealand-deserts/ Deserts and Sand Dunes of New Zealand] * [http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/central-north-island/ruapehu/round-the-mountain-track/ The Round the Mountain Track], [[Tongariro National Park]] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130210124301/http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/waiouru.html New Zealand Small Town travel guide - Waiouru]

[[Category:Deserts of New Zealand]] [[Category:Ruapehu District]] [[Category:Volcanic deserts]] [[Category:Tongariro National Park]]