Living in the shadow of Taranaki's ticking time bombStuff.co.nz While previous eruptions have made Taranaki's soil arable, the immediate effects of an eruption would be disastrous for agriculture in the region. Mt Taranaki is well overdue to blow its top and when it does erupt the effects on the region will be disastrous. When Mt Taranaki erupts there will be total destruction to the edge of Egmont National Park. Frans Lanting / Getty Images Lava has been recorded reaching up to seven kilometers from Mt Taranaki's peak, roughly the size of Egmont National Park. The last major eruption was in roughly 1655, while a smaller ash eruption occurred 100 years later.

Source: Stuff October 14, 2016 18:56 UTC