Ruapehu snow may be bottled

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 686, 13 May 1997, Page 10 (Supplement)

Ruapehu snow may be bottled

Snow soda looks to be a major positive spin-off from the Ruapehu eruptions, if entrepreneurs can get around DepartmentofConservation rules about exploiting a product from a national park. Scientists have found that the 1995-96 eruptions left very high carbon dioxide levels in the soil and they expect it to be absorbed into the snow which, once melted, will be carbonised, hence the soda. Added to that, a high concentration of a weak tribasic acid — a component of citric acid — in the ash is expected to add a lemon flavour to the soda. These two factors combined will mean Ruapehu snow this winter will be fizzy, with a lemon flavour. This theory , only bom out of scientific studies yesterday, may been great news for Ruapehu people, but is expected to upset people from Paeroa whose 'world famous in New Zealand' drink could be surpassed by the Ruapehu snow soda. With the huge amount of snow that falls on Ruapehu, there is potentialfor an enormous quantity of the soda to be produced. It is though that the first batch of snow soda came down in the last snow shower, early last week. This report was first published on April Fools ' Day.