Second avalanche thunders down Mt Taranaki

A second avalanche in 24 hours has thundered down Mt Taranaki's Manganui Gorge, and the Manganui skifield was expected to be closed this weekend.

The first, estimated at 1000 tonnes, came down about 2.10pm on Thursday, narrowly missing three climbers.

Another, more than twice that size, followed some time during the night, the Taranaki Daily News reported today.

The track the men were on was closed to the public at the time because of the danger.

Yesterday avalanche advisory signs on the mountain indicated an extreme risk.

Department of Conservation (DOC) programme manager Dave Rogers said that because of recent snowfalls and heavy rain it was a timely reminder of the risks avalanches posed to mountain users.

"You are risking your life. The avalanches we get are big and the highest risk is the Manganui Gorge access track to the skifield," Mr Rogers said.

- NZPA