Travelbeat Editorial Review The Buried Village of Te Wairoa Rotorua, New Zealand Story and Photos by Kerry Hennigan In 1886, earthquakes, rogue waves and the appearance of a ghostly Maori canoe on Lake Tarawera on New Zealand's North Island were portents of a natural disaster of cataclysmic proportions. The Pink and White Terraces of Lake Rotomahana were justifiably famous natural wonders which drew visitors from all over the world. A result of thermal activity, the terraces were a result of silica or silicon dioxide rising to the surface of the heated waters. Largest of the two, the White Terrace, covered an area of 2.8 hectares, was 280 metres wide at its base and 30 metres high at the top. The smaller Pink Terrace was beautifully tinted by iron oxides in the silica, was only 23 metres at its base, but 73 metres at the top, making it wedged shaped. Its Maori name meant 'fountain of the clouded sky'. Located not far from modern Rotorua, the village of Te Wairoa, which in the 19th century provided services for the visitors come to see the terraces, was to be all but obliterated along with smaller Maori villages in the area. The three volcanic cones of Mr Tarawera successively erupted after 1 am on June 10, 1886 causing devastation over 15,000 square kilometres. Three villages were drowned under ash and mud up to 2 metres deep. One hundred and fifty three people died, and the Pink and White Terraces of Rotomahana were destroyed forever. The story of the disaster, excavated artefacts and images of the natural beauty that was obliterated on this terrible night are on display at the Buried Village museum at Te Wairoa, which is open 7 days a week (closed Christmas Day) to visitors. In the midst of the many natural thermal and volcanic wonders in New Zealand's North Island, the Buried Village is a dramatic reminder that nature is not only beautiful but can also be deadly. The park-like grounds of the village complex contains a reconstructed settler cottage, barracks and Maori whares (huts) and the excavated remnants of some of the buildings buried in the eruption. One of the most unusual of these is the Maori storehouse (pictured above) carved out of stone. The Buried Village Tearooms and Cafe (at right) are located in a reconstruction of the Rotomahana Hotel which, prior to the eruption, housed visitors who came to view the Pink and White Terraces. Unlike the ease with which modern tourists zip around Rotorua's thermal wonders on well paved and sign-posted roads, in the 1880s visitors stayed overnight in Te Wairoa before being ferried out to see the terraces by boat or canoe. Maori guides would lead the well-heeled visitors over the terraces, where natural thermal pools suitable for bathing formed in the wider 'steps'. At the top of the terraces the pools were scalding hot, but as the water flowed down to the lower terraces, temperatures became progressively cooler. Images of the wonderful terraces are on display in the museum attached to the Buried Village tea rooms and reveal a past that seems to be largely unknown outside of New Zealand. Outside, a walking track leads to the various partially excavated and reconstructed features of Te Wairoa and down to the trout-inhabited Wairoa stream which was altered in its course by the fall out from the 1886 eruption. A path leads to a beautiful 30 metre waterfall (at left) though the steep incline makes the steps down to the bottom of the falls unsuitable for some visitors. As though in compensation, the alternate track leads to an excellent view over the Waitoharuru Valley and Lake Tarawera. Sadly the famous Pink and White Terraces of Rotomahana remain visible only in picturesque engravings and hand-tinted postcards from Te Wairoa's hey-day as the gateway community to these lost natural treasures. For more information on the Buried Village visit: www.buriedvillage.co.nz Sources and recommended reading: · The Buried Village of Te Wairoa (Compiled by Gordon Ell) The Bush Press, New Zealand · A Canoe in the Mist (Elsie Locke) Collins Modern New Zealand Classics (an historical novel for younger readers). Back to Front Page