The Mt Tarawera Eruption - Roadside Stories

A Manatū Taonga audio guide to Mt Tarawera and its geothermal past. Check out the Ministry for Culture and Heritage's audio guide in the image carousel above.

'The sky was lit by great flashes of flame ...' The 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera obliterated the spectacular Pink and White Terraces, one of the world's scenic wonders, and buried a number of villages. The disaster was heralded by an apparition of a ghostly canoe on Lake Tarawera.

Historic volcanic activity: Tarawera,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/historic-volcanic-activity/2

Eruption of Mt Tarawera,
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline/10/06

Volcanic Plateau places: Lake Tarawera district, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/volcanic-plateau-places/6

Te Arawa: the Tarawera eruption,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-arawa/5

Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives http://www.soundarchives.co.nz/. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number sa-t-0224-su02-pm).

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Roadside Stories are a series of audio guides to places of interest on major road trips in New Zealand. Each guide tells the story of an attraction along the way -- its people, its history, its cultural and natural significance. For more information about Roadside Stories visit http://www.mch.govt.nz/roadside/