earth science

Pihanga

Pihanga is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pihanga rather than just read about it. In short: Pihanga is a 1,326 metres (4,350 ft) andesitic volcanic peak in the North Island Volcanic Plateau, located to the north of Mount Tongariro, between Tongariro and Lake Taupō. The nearest town to Pihanga is Tūrangi.

Key takeaways

Pihanga belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pihanga to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pihanga from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pihanga is a 1,326 metres (4,350 ft) andesitic volcanic peak in the North Island Volcanic Plateau, located to the north of Mount Tongariro, between Tongariro and Lake Taupō. The nearest town to Pihanga is Tūrangi. Lake Rotoaira lies to the south-west of Pihanga, and the smaller Lake Rotopounamu is situated on the south-western flank of the volcano, near Te Ponanga Saddle. Across the saddle to the west is the volcanic peak of Tihia. Pihanga and Lake Rotopounamu are part of the 5,129ha Pihanga Scenic Reserve, which in 1975 was added to the Tongariro National Park. Pihanga appears to have a large crater, but this is in fact the result of erosion, and the "crater" quickly narrows into a steep gorge.

Geology Eruptions from Pihanga last occurred more than 20,000 years ago. An age of 123 ± 10 ka has been challenged and potentially redating suggests first formation greater than 180,000 years ago. The more recent eruptions are consistent with the north-north-east to south-south-west alignment of the present southern Taupō Volcanic Zone rifting. Just to the east is the Poutu Fault Zone.

Biology Its slopes are covered in native bush and currently part of a major nature conservation project.

Māori mythology In Māori mythology, Pīhanga was the female mountain whom Taranaki and Tongariro fought over, at a time when Taranaki was also located among the central North Island mountains. Tongariro's victory resulted in Taranaki's banishment to the west coast, with his movement creating features such as the Whanganui and Pātea Rivers, and the Ngaere swamp.

The Keepers of the Wai In Māori custom, the Pihanga Maunga became the responsibility of the Matapuna people (a mix of Tuwharetoa, Tama Kopiri/Upper Whanganui whanau/Tu Hope - Descendants of Te Rere Ao, the First of Tuwharetoa) of the Tuwharetoa people, who have traditionally been the keepers of the wai (Keepers of the Water) and Maunga Kaitiaki (Protectors of the Mountain). The Pihanga mountain was an important water resource for the whole of the Tuwharetoa, Tainui, Whanganui and some parts of the East Coast rohe, are all catchments of this water source. Some members of the chieftain line of the Matapuna people, who held mana, were given the honor of being buried on the mountain. One such chief, Pakau, interred his son, who was killed in battle, in one of the burial caves. Pakau was known to have mourned for many months over the death of his son.

See also List of volcanoes in New Zealand

References

External links United Nations Environment Programme: Parks and Protected Areas: World Heritage Sites: Tongariro National Park Best, Elsdon. The Maori - Volume I, V Myth and Folk Lore. p205. Peter Thomson: Walks, GPS Tracks and many photographs: New Zealand: Rotopounamu

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pihanga

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pihanga claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pihanga before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pihanga ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pihanga

In research: Pihanga appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pihanga in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pihanga is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Protected areas of Waikato, Ruapehu District, Taupō Volcanic Zone, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pihanga outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pihanga in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pihanga means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pihanga out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pihanga in simple terms?

Why does Pihanga matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pihanga?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pihanga.