Mt Ngauruhoe is around 2,500 years old and is the youngest of the three volcanoes in the Tongariro National Park. Its relative youth gives rise to a more regular volcano shape with steep slopes.
Local Maori traditionally considered Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro to be one mountain and geologists regard Mount Ngauruhoe as being a secondary cone of Mount Tongariro’s structure.
Volcanic Activity

Mt Ngauruhoe has erupted 45 times in the 20th century alone, making it the most active of the three volcanoes in Tongariro National Park, however the last major eruption took place in 1975, with no recent signs of unrest.

Mount Ngauruhoe made its big film debut as the evil 'Mount Doom' in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.