Mount Tarawera Explodes
The eruption of Mount Tarawera was the most dramatic volcanic event in recent New Zealand history. Erupting in the early hours of June 10th 1886, by 2.30am the mountain’s three peaks were blasting triple columns of smoke and ash thousands of metres into the sky. An hour later the bed of Lake Rotomahana blew out.
| |
| Tarawera eruption survivors and the fowl house they sheltered in |
|
 |
|
Newspapers of the day recorded that sounds of the blast, volcanic lightning flashes and a glow in the night sky were registered as far south as Christchurch, 800 km away. In Auckland (230 km away), the flashing lights and what sounded like artillery fire sparked fears that a marauding battleship was attacking the city as part of a feared Russian invasion force. Many in the Manawatu believed that the visiting Russian man-of-war, Vestnick, was bombarding Wanganui.
Three villages near Mount Tarawera were buried by the eruption. The death toll will never be known exactly; best estimates calculate around 150 people. At Te Wairoa, the villagers’ dwellings have now been dug out from beneath layers of ash, in places up to 10 metres deep. Wandering around village site today offers a fascinating insight into the fragility of life before the massive forces sometimes at work in this land.
|
