Buried Village Te Wairoa

Te Wairoa was the staging village for visitors to the Pink and White Terraces, the great tourist attraction of nineteenth-century New Zealand, and on 10 June 1886 Mount Tarawera erupted and buried it under mud and ash. More than a hundred people died in the wider district. Excavation from the 1930s uncovered whare, a store, a flour mill and the tohunga's dwelling, and the site is presented as it was found - buildings partly emerged from the ash rather than reconstructed. A museum holds objects recovered from the debris and the photographic record of the terraces before they were destroyed. The walk continues down a bush path to Te Wairoa Falls, which is steep with steps. There is a story attached to the site about a phantom war canoe seen on Lake Tarawera days before the eruption, reported by tourists and locals alike, which the interpretation covers as part of the record. It is a burial site, and behaviour on it should reflect that.

Highlights

• The excavated buildings - partly emerged from the 1886 ash.
• The museum - objects from the debris and photographs of the terraces.
• Te Wairoa Falls - down a steep bush path with steps.
• The eruption record - the night that ended the terraces.

When to go

Any season. Allow two to three hours with the museum. Closed on some public holidays.

What to expect

Ticketed. People died here and it is treated as a memorial as well as a site. The falls path is steep with many steps and not for everyone. Some visitors find the presentation dated.

Nearby

Lake Tarawera is beyond it; Blue and Green Lakes are on the road back to Rotorua.