Buried Village

Te Wairoa was once a thriving village where both Maori and Pakeha flourished until June, 1886. Early that morning, earthquakes were followed by eruptions that continued for hours, covering Te Wairoa with two metres of mud and ash.

Wi Kepa Te Rangipuawhe’s house shows the depth of the ash and mud that fell on the village.

Almost every building was destroyed along with more than one hundred and twenty lives lost in Te Wairoa and surrounding villages from Mt Tarawera’s multiple vents.

Of the seventy Maori whares that made up the village, only about a dozen survived.

Today sections of the village have been excavated and well documented.