(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />New Zealand's Mount Tongariro erupted at 1.25pm local time (0025GMT) on Wednesday (November 21), the government geological agency GNS Science said.<br/> <br />The GeoNet website said webcam images showed a massive plume of ash billowing into the air from the Te Maari Crater, on the west of the mountain.<br/> <br />Schoolchildren and hikers were walking on the mountain at the time of the eruption but the Department of Conservation said no-one was hurt.<br/> <br />Local media said last week that temperatures were reported to be rising hundreds of metres beneath the volcano and there was an increased chance of an eruption.<br/> <br />It is the second time this year the volcano has erupted. The last time, in August, was the first time in over a hundred years.
