1945 Ruapehu eruption a surprise for many

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 614, 28 November 1995, Page 11

1945 Ruapehu eruption a surprise for many

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It is 50 years since this century's biggest eruption in New Zealand, and to mark its passing, Ruapehu College students have been interviewing longtime residents about their recollections of the nine-month eruption. Following is the last in the series: As told by Miss Gladys M Goldfinch to Kimi Edwards Miss Goldfinch recalls her first reaction to the 1 945 eruption of Mt Ruapehu to be one of surprise and shock as nobody expected it, but as it continued people started to settle down to it. She also recalls having to get used to theactivity coming from Ngauruhoe and would travel to Raetihi to watch the mountain in explosion throwing red hot boulders around. People would drive to the National Park road and watch Ngauruhoe in eruption.

Miss Goldfinch remembers going to the Chateau and looking out the plate glass window at Ngauruhoe. She recalls that every time it went "boom" it would turn inside out like a big bubble which she remembers as "quite remarkable". She also said that the suddenness of the eruption gives you a feeling of great relief when it is over. When I asked Miss Goldfinch what her feelings would be towards another eruption like 1945, she replied that we have to live through it because we can't stop it and we should be ready with medical facilities and a Civil Defence system in place. She also said that in case of molten lava the safest place to go would be down the Parapara. Miss Goldfinch recalls that when she was a teenager she and her mother would sit in chairs and watch the mountain. She also remembers watching her mother sweeping the ash off the pathway and

the bottle of ash that the local hairdresser kept which people often came in to look at. Miss Goldfinch does not recall any warning

signs but always thought of Ruapehu as a dormant volcano. When asked what her lifestyle was like when the mountain was erupting she replied that they just got on with their lives and daily work. She recalls having to put up with the discomfort of ash dropping all over her clothes and how dreary it was to see grey all the time. But she said that nobody was frightened or worried because if evacuation was required, Waiouru was there to help out with vehicles and manpower. She also recalls the hardships that there were for animals like fish-life living in polluted waters and also for farmers and

their livestock. Overall, Miss Goldfinch remembers the 1945 eruption as coming very suddenly and explosively . She also remembers the locals accepting it as part of their lives and wondering what was going to happen next. Finally she recalls it as a spectacular experience and an awesome topic of conversation. She says that we have to accept it and also get used to living on the edge of a volcano as this is something that we can pass on to the next generation and build up our knowledge.