Only a 15 minute drive from Rotorua, the lake is set amidst beautiful scenery and lies underneath the majestic Mount Tarawera … Its more recent eruption, in 1886, is the one that has struck the interest of many due to the appearance of the “phantom canoe”. To some, it brings to mind the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, where director Peter Jackson filmed most of the scenes. According to the Māori culture, this war canoe appeared to be souls being ferried to the mountain of the dead, Mount Tarawera. It was over by dawn, though ash made day as dark as night. What has captured the fascination of many with this eruption is its entanglement with the culture of the Māori. Mount Tarawera, Okataina, Rotorua District, Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand : The early eruptions of the Mount Tarawera volcano had built up a series of rhyolitic flows and domes. The initial pyroclastic surge destroyed several villages in the immediate surroundings, and ash was found as far as Christchurch! Figures above: (left) New Zealand's North Island and associated volcanoes, (right) The Taupo Volcanic Zone (Images from http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/ and http://www.explorevolcanoes.com/). It was over by dawn, though ash made day as dark as night. Most of the domes formed during eruptions about 14,700, 11,250, and 930 years ago. 11 days before Tarawera erupted, a traditional Māori war canoe was spotted travelling across the waters of Lake Tarawera, the water body in the shadow of Mount Tarawera. Mount Tarawera is located within the Taupo volcanic zone, same as Taupo. The eruption covered land with millions of tonnes of ash and debris, transformed lakes, and flattened bush. New Zealand. Numerous lava domes and craters erupted from two subparallel NE-SW-trending vent lineations form the Haroharo and Tarawera volcanic complexes. A small portion of the Pink Terraces was reportedly rediscovered under Lake Rotomahana125 years later. The land above then collapses. This area is a caldera (collapse crater) that became volcanically active about 400 000 years ago and which last subsided about 64,000 years ago. If you’d like more details, check out this official account. VolcanoFactSheets Tarawera.pdf (535.12 kB). There have been several notable eruptions in the North Island, including the, New Zealand is exceedingly rich in history and culture, with the Māori being the indigenous people of New Zealand (or Aotearoa in Māori –, The lead up to the 1886 eruption was a series of really strong eruptions starting in the middle of the night, on the 10, Based on this phantom canoe appearance, Māori now believe that it will appear again before the next time Mount Tarawera erupts. The ‘Buried Village’ of Te Wairoa has been excavated from the rocks, ash and mud which buried it in 1886. Effusive eruptions, meanwh… / Volcanoes Okataina Volcanic Centre/ Mt Tarawera Volcano. If you’d like more details, check out, its popular translation is ‘long white cloud’. One such eruption is the eruption at Mount Tarawera in 1886. The North Island of New Zealand is particularly abundant in volcanoes, and several of these volcanoes are considered active and closely monitored by the government and GNS Science, one of the more active research institutes in New Zealand. VW is a higher education, k-12, and public outreach project of the, The North Island of New Zealand is particularly abundant in volcanoes, and several of these volcanoes are considered active and closely monitored by the government and GNS Science, one of the more active research institutes in New Zealand. Today, Lake Tarawera is one of 18 clean and pristine lakes in the Rotorua region. Home Tarawera can only be accessed by tour, but if you're keen for some epic panoramic views around the area, then definitely make the effort. / Okataina Volcanic Centre/ Mt Tarawera Volcano. Many of them had no vested interest or knowledge in Māori culture but simply observed a canoe with passengers appearing on the lake. On this war canoe, eyewitnesses observed two rows of people, dressed in the traditional style ready for death. The massive, dominantly rhyolitic Okataina Volcanic Centre is surrounded by extensive ignimbrite and pyroclastic sheets produced during multiple caldera-forming eruptions. World volcano Profiles > New Zealand>Mt Tarawera. Tarawera Volcano Mount Tarawera (1111m), located on New Zealand's N Island, was the source of one of the most powerful historical eruptions. Figure above: A painting depicting the 1886 eruption of Tarawera (Source unknown). Tarawera experienced a violent eruption killing an estimated 153 people and devastating the entire surrounding area. What is really unique is that the eruption was so big and loud that residents in Auckland saw flashes of light and hear the roaring of the eruption that they thought Russian warships were attacking! Several Māori villages were buried, including one that has since become a tourist attraction, Te Wairoa. In 2017, using a lost 185… It erupted in 1315, producing one of New Zealand’s largest historic volcanic eruptions. Can the next eruption at Mount Tarawera be foretold with the appearance of the phantom war canoe? To volcanologists, it’s the land of gorgeous volcanoes! And in case you might be skeptical, several people witnessed this appearance, including several tourists visiting Te Wairoa village. And in case you might be skeptical, several people witnessed this appearance, including several tourists visiting Te Wairoa village. Mount Tarawera is a volcano is a small chain of rhyolitic lava domes 25km to the SE of Rotorua on New Zealands North Island. The time between eruptions in the Okataina Volcanic Centre is long (700 to 3000 years) but eruptions are 100 to 10,000 times larger than those of cone volcanoes. Figures above: (left) Hobbiton in New Zealand as depicted in the Lord of the Rings films, and (right) Tongariro and volcanoes in the same volcano chain, aka Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings (Images from Sara Orme and Corbis).