Around 120 people were killed, and many settlements were destroyed or buried. The 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera occurred in the early hours of 10 June 1886 in the North Island near Rotorua then extended to Waimangu, New Zealand. The first one to erupt was the Wahanga peak (located to the north), the next was Ruawahia (situated in the middle), and the last one was Tarawera (the southern peak). As we all know, Rotorua is the geothermal capital of New Zealand but one event sticks in the mind of all who visit the city in its vast history of volcanic activity: the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera. [11], The land was covered with millions of tonnes of volcanic ash, mud and debris on average 20 metres (66 ft) thick. The famed Pink and White Terraces, natural wonders of New Zealand, were until 2017 thought destroyed. Perhaps you have a related experience you would like to share? The 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera obliterated the spectacular Pink and White Terraces, one of the world's scenic wonders, and buried a number of villages. The eruption that killed over 150 people and destroyed multiple villages, and homes in the morning of June 10 1886, the Mount Tarawera eruption is still seen as one of the most catastrophic events to have happened in New Zealand History. Can you tell us more about the information on this page? [15] Much of the discrepancy was due to misspelled names and other duplications. A 17-km-long rift split Mt Tarawera and extended as far south as Waimangu. On 10 June 2011 New Zealand remembered the Mt Tarawera eruption that occurred 125 years ago - devastating the surrounding landscape, claiming the lives of over 120 people and displacing many more. Tarawera is the site of New Zealand’s largest eruption during the last 500 years. Te Wairoa is now a tourist attraction called "The Buried Village". In 2007, the General Manager of the Earthquake Commission said that "... Ngati Hinemihi oral accounts put the death toll in the thousands." By 2:30 am Mount Tarawera's three peaks had erupted, blasting three distinct columns of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky[4] At around 3.30 am, the largest phase of the eruption commenced; vents at Rotomahana produced a pyroclastic surge that destroyed several villages within a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) radius, and the Pink and White Terraces appeared to be obliterated. Eruptions which created Mt Tarawera began about 18,000 years ago. Shortly after midnight on the morning of 10 June 1886, a series of more than 30 increasingly strong earthquakes were felt in the Rotorua area[2] and an unusual sheet lightning display was observed from the direction of Tarawera. Some of the local survivors at Te Wairoa took shelter in a Māori meeting house, a wharenui, named Hinemihi, which was later taken to England and erected in the grounds of Clandon Park, the seat of the 4th Earl Onslow, who had been governor-general of New Zealand at the time. Transcript. "On this day: Tarawera volcanic eruption in 1886", "Te Tarata and Te Otukapuarangi: Reverse engineering Hochstetter's Lake Rotomahana Survey to map the Pink and White Terrace locations", "Scientists find Pink Terraces – NZ's lost 'eighth wonder of the world, A Roof Over Their Heads? Men from Rotorua and Ōhinemutu formed rescue parties and began digging out survivors and casualties. Three years after Krakatoa eruption. The social effects of the eruption had a lasting impact on the survivors, with the official death toll being 150 people, although later estimates say it was rather 108 to 120 casualties. [9][10], Mount Tarawera was made up of three peaks which erupted one after the other. It was over by dawn, though ash made day as dark as night. We have 1 biography, 8 articles, 3 comments related to Eruption of Mt Tarawera. Eruption of Mt Tarawera. Mount Tarawera is split into a rift running for 17 kilometres. Watch the Tarawera television documentary (NZ On Screen): Scenery preservation in New Zealand – Scenery preservation 1903-1953New Zealand disasters timeline – New Zealand disasters timelineThe Pink Terraces – History of New Zealand paintingThe White Terraces – Scenery preservation 1903-1953The eruption of Mt Tarawera - roadside stories – New Zealand disasters timelineHistory of New Zealand, 1769-1914 – A history of New Zealand 1769-1914, 'Eruption of Mt Tarawera', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/eruption-of-mt-tarawera, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 9-Jun-2020. Not all comments posted. At around 2:00 am,[3] a larger earthquake was felt and followed by the sound of an explosion. Mount Tarawera erupted around 1315 in the Kaharoa eruption. It destroyed several villages, along with the famous silica hot springs known as the Pink and White Terraces. The eruption covered land with millions of tonnes of ash and debris, transformed lakes, and flattened bush. Some thought it was an attack by a Russian warship. The time between eruptions in the Okataina Volcanic Centre is long (700 to 3000 years) but eruptions are 100 to 10,000 times larger than those of cone volcanoes. Eruption of Mt Tarawera Painting of Mt Tarawera erupting by Charles Blomfield (Alexander Turnbull Library, C-033-002) The eruption lasted six hours and caused massive destruction. This eruption was one of New Zealand's largest historical eruptions, and killed an estimated 120 people. The 17-km-long Tarawera Rift was the site of a vigorous eruption in 1886 that ejected ~0.7 km 3 of basaltic magma in ~4 hours (Nairn and others, 1986); large phreatic explosions occurred from Lake Rotomahana, which has grown substantially since that eruption. Is this a yardstick? Mount Tarawera is a volcano on the North Island of New Zealand. This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. The rift created during the eruption extends 17 kilometres (11 mi) across the mountain, Lake Rotomahana and through the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley. The eruption was heard clearly as far away as Blenheim and the effects of the ash in the air were observed as far south as Christchurch, over 800 kilometres (497 mi) away. The settlements of Te Tapahoro, Moura, Te Ariki, Totarariki, Waingongongo and Te Wairoa were badly damaged or buried. 10 June Mt Tarawera in eruption Photo Credit: Charles Bloomfield via Wiki Commons. Meet the NZHistory.net.nz team, Painting of Mt Tarawera erupting by Charles Blomfield (Alexander Turnbull Library, C-033-002). The volcano is thought to have erupted in 1315, but it’s unknown as to whether or not anyone was living in the area at the time. The eruption lasted six hours and caused massive destruction. Comments will be reviewed prior to posting. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. Visiting tourists stayed at the Rotomahana Hotel in the village of Te Wairoa. On the morning of 10 June 1886, together with violent earthquakes and intense lightning, Mount Tarawera's three peaks erupted. 2:30am – A second and a third eruption occur. [3][13] Some people claim that many more people died.[14]. Events One of the most popular tourist attractions in New Zealand was the Pink and White Terraces, which lay at the foot of Mount Tarawera, in the heart of the volcanic plateau of the North Island. It destroyed several villages, along with the famous silica hot springs known as the Pink and White Terraces. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. Had the eruption occurred during the day, the loss of life would have been greater than the estimated 108 to 120 people killed. Many of the lakes surrounding the mountain had their shapes and areas dramatically altered, especially the eventual enlargement of Lake Rotomahana, the largest crater involved in the eruption, as it re-filled with water. The final southern eruption bursts with an immense roar which is heard as far away as Auckland. Allowing for some unnamed and unknown victims, he estimated that the true death toll was 120 at most. The Māori settlements of Moura, Te Koutu, Kokotaia, Piripai, Pukekiore, Otuapane, Te Tapahoro, Te Wairoa, Totarariki, and Waingongoro were buried or destroyed. [6][7] In Auckland the sound of the eruption and the flashing sky was thought by some to be an attack by Russian warships. The smoke cloud reaches a height of approximately 10km and is visible in Gisborne, nearly 150 kilometres away to the south west. I have asked locals if there is an evacuation put in place here as I have 3 young children a reply seem to me was All to there own kinda way ? An enormous chasm 180 metres wide was formed from almost the base to the summit of Mount Tarawera. Approximately 2 cubic kilometres (0.5 cubic miles) of tephra was erupted,[5] more than Mount St. Helens ejected in 1980. A small portion of the Pink Terraces was reportedly rediscovered under Lake Rotomahana 125 years later. Mount Tarawera is a volcano on the outskirts of Rotorua. Scenery preservation in New Zealand – Scenery preservation 1903-1953, New Zealand disasters timeline – New Zealand disasters timeline, The Pink Terraces – History of New Zealand painting, The White Terraces – Scenery preservation 1903-1953, The eruption of Mt Tarawera - roadside stories – New Zealand disasters timeline, History of New Zealand, 1769-1914 – A history of New Zealand 1769-1914, Painting of the eruption (National Library), Disasters and mishaps (1966 encyclopaedia), Tarawera phantom canoe (1966 encyclopaedia), White Terraces rediscovered (GNS Science video).