A wall of smoke from the Tongariro National Park fire is providing a spectacular but worrying vista for a central plateau village.
The blaze has burned through up to 2500 hectares and is 20 percent contained.
Whakapapa Village was evacuated on Sunday, and the fire has forced the evacuation of trampers and closed lodges. All tracks and huts within the Tongariro National Park are closed, and State Highway 48 leading to Whakapapa Village and State Highway 47 at the intersection with State Highway 4 at Waimarino are also closed.
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