A "total surprise":
The volcano rumbled into life at 11.50 last night, sending ash and rock a kilometre into the air, prompting a potential threat warning for central North Island regions.
The "small scale" eruption was a total surprise, with the volcano last erupting in 1897, GNS Science said.
Though there had been no escalation in background seismicity today, the mountain could blow its top again depending on what is causing the unrest, GNS scientist Brad Scott said at a press conference in Taupo this afternoon.
''If it is steam driven ... it's unlikely to do much more because once the initial pressure drops occurred you'll just get smaller activity.
''If it is being driven by a longer term magmatic process with molten material being intruded into the volcano it may take days to weeks before that sort of shows itself.''
...No one was found injured or dead during a police search of all huts and tracks around Mt Tongariro, Conservation Department Ruapehu-Whanganui area manager Nic Peet.
However, the Ketetahi hut was significantly damaged.
''The track into the hut has got boulders of up to a metre in cross section that have landed on the track and caused impact craters and the hut itself has holes through the roof, the floor and the bunks inside it.''
People could have been injured or killed had they been inside it, Mr Peet said.
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