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Rotorua

Buried Village of Te Wairoa

 


Book a tour to the buried village of Te Wairoa
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Adventure in Rotorua


By Richard Moore

In 1886 Mount Tarawera near Rotorua exploded in a mighty eruption that split the mountain, destroyed the internationally famed Pink-and-White Terraces and buried the small village of Te Wairoa.

Buried VillageThe death toll from the tragedy - which was portended by a ghostly canoe sailing across Lake Tarawera - was 153 killed.

That figure included both locals and tourists.

Today tourists can travel to Te Wairoa - a 15-minute drive from Rotorua - and can visit the sombre-but-beautiful site.

Walk around the grounds and examine the remains of the excavated buildings - the blacksmith's shop, flour mill, barman's house and Rotomahana Hotel.

Wandering around you can see the damage a volcano can do and imagine the sheer terror that those caught in the eruption would have gone through.

There is a museum on site that has household items that survived the explosion - including a sewing machine found in the branches of a tree.

You can also see one of the straightest lines of trees in the world - it's not really surprising when you consider they were once fence posts that have grown into fully fledged trees!

If you are feeling energetic you can take a walk down a bush trail to the 80-metre Te Wairoa Falls or, if you'd rather not, you can enjoy a wide range of food and drinks at The Buried Village's cafe.

There are three-hour tours to Te Wairoa that depart each day between 12:45pm and 1:00pm.

 

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