Kōrero: Historic volcanic activity

Tarawera erupting, 1886

Tarawera erupting, 1886

This lithograph of Mt Tarawera erupting on the night of 10 June 1886 was made by A. D. Willis, based on a painting by Charles Blomfield. The view is from the Māori village of Waitangi, on the northern shores of Lake Tarawera, where there was only a single death. Blomfield did not see the eruption, and reconstructed the dramatic scene from what he had been told.

In Te Wairoa, a few kilometres closer to the volcano, Charles Haszard observed the eruption from his verandah and had exclaimed, ‘What a grand sight! Should we live a hundred years we shall never again see its equal.’ He died a few hours later when his house collapsed.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: C-003-002

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Eileen McSaveney, Carol Stewart and Graham Leonard, 'Historic volcanic activity - Tarawera', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/artwork/6841/tarawera-erupting-1886 (accessed 19 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Eileen McSaveney, Carol Stewart and Graham Leonard, i tāngia i te 12 Jun 2006