Basic Information

Early on June 10th 1886 the people living in and around Te Wairoa village
only a short distance from the pink and white terraces were awoken by a
series of violent earthquakes.

At about 2am the Ruawahia Dome on Mt Tarawera erupted.

Mt Tarawera is located 24km northeast of Rotorua.

What Happened?
When the volcano erupted just after a series of earthquakes at about
2am hot mud and red hot boulders were shot out of the erupting
volcano. A few hours later the bed of Lake Rotomahana blew out burying
the Maori villages of Moura and Te Ariki under a thick layer of liquid mud,
stones and ash. Clouds of ash were shot as far up as 10km into the sky. In
the following hours other craters burst open spewing out mud, ash and
steam.

The eruption was heard as far as Blenheim at the top of the south island
and the earthquakes were felt right throughout the north island. The
eruption ended at about 6am
How did it happen?
Mt Tarawera is located very close to the place where the tectonic plates
meet. The land has been moving here for thousands of years and will
continue to do so. Deep inside Mt Tarawera the pressure builds up.
Geologists constantly measure the volcanic activity and keep an eye on
the unpredictable volcano for signs of the next eruption.
What were the pink
and white terraces?
The pink and white terraces were considered the eighth
wonder of the world and were said to have risen like a
giant wedding cake from the banks of Lake Rotomhana.

Cascading into remote Lake Rotomahana, the beautiful

silica terraces attracted people from all over the world.
Visitors travelled by steamer to Tauranga, taking a bridle
track to Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua. A
coach trip to Te Wairoa, a two-hour canoe journey and
finally a walk over the narrow isthmus separating the
swampy shores of Lake Rotomahana from Lake Tarawera
took them to the foot of the fabled terraces.
Te Tarata, (The Tattooed Rock) or the White Terrace was
the larger. Covering seven acres, it tumbled to the lake
from a from a height of 30 metres, fanning to a frontage of
240 metres. The terraces of Otukapuarangi, (Fountain of
the Clouded Sky) or the Pink Terraces were smaller and
lower. The steps gradually ascended to the crater platform
where three metre-deep basins were filled with clear blue
water of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, making superb
bathing places.
Victorian travellers recorded their experience in a rich
legacy of art,
photographs and words.