Part 5 - In The Belly Of The Beast

Lake Taupo lies in the heart of the Taupo Volcanic zone, a large and highly active area extending from Mount Ruapehu, south of the lake to beyond White Island, off the eastern coast of New Zealand. Lake Taupo itself is giant flooded volcanic bowl called a caldera, more than 150 kilometres around. Every year hundreds of thousands of visitors flock here to enjoy the clean water, and the terrific fishing. But what some of them don't realise is that the lake actually sits in a huge supervolcano with the potential to change the shape of half the country, and the weather all around the world! In this episode, we'll tread carefully across one of the most dangerous places on earth, to talk about the forces that made and continue to shape the planet, how they threaten us, and how they CAN also provide us with extraordinary riches.