Eruption book published

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 652, 3 September 1996, Page 10

Eruption book published

Turangi journalist Karen Williams with Godwit Publishing will this week release Ruapehu Erupts, a book "to celebrates the drama and excitement of the eruptions of 1995 and 1996". Images from professional photographers and scientists combine with shots from people fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to provide a stunning record of the latest chapter in the continuing story of this unpredictable volcano, according to the publishers. Karen Williams lives in Turangi where she works as a researcher and writer, and is currently coordinator of the Mainstreet programme to revitalise the town centre. Fire and ice are two of her passions. She has visited volcanoes around the world, including Alaska, Antarctica and Indonesia. She has worked in Antarctica on three occasions. In 1978, as journalist/photographer at Scott Base, she was the first woman to venture inside the main crater of the active volcano of Mt Erebus to view the glowing lake of lava lying deep in the inner crater.

Karen has had a keen interest in the central North island area for many years. She is the author of Volcanoes of the South Wind, a popular geological field guide to the Tongariro National Park, Coming Round the Mountains, a tour guide to the Park, and Skiing on the Volcano, a history of early skiing at Ruapehu. A former national ski

champion, Karen has worked as a ski instructor at Whakapapa Ski Area, and skiing remains her favourite recreational activity. Early morning phone calls reporting on the latest volcanic activity at Ruapehu have been fairly routine since last September as Karen is married to Department of Conservation scientist Dr Harry Keys, who has been keeping a close watch on the mountain.