Buried Village, Rotorua

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The Buried Village was an interesting place to check out. We got lost a bit on the ride over but it was worth the visit.

There are a bunch of houses, the area where the hotel was and old bottles that can be seen that were buried by the Mt Tarawera eruption in 1886. They have been excavated and the buildings were recontructed.

After checking out the village we took a walk through the grounds to the Te Wairoa Falls. Along the way you walk past a stream where you see trout swimming by.

The Buried Village – Te Waiora – is situated about a 15 minutes drive from Rotorua passing the beautiful Blue and Green Lake. The village was completely destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886 (see tip about a visit to the top of the mountain).

We walked along the excavations of some buildings; among them a couple of houses, a blacksmiths workshop and a hotel. We also did take a look in the museum and learned a lot about the history of Te Waiora and the devastating eruption of Mt. Tarawera.

Although interesting, it was not the most exiting site around Rotorua and hardly worth the money.

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After wandering through the remains of the buried village, take the path along the beautiful Te Wairoa stream and watch the wild rainbow trout hovering in the currents. This short walk (maybe half an hour or so) is easy walking through lush native bush with lots of good photo opportunities, including a beautiful waterfall - the Te Wairoa Falls- and lots of places to stop and enjoy the surroundings.

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In 1886, Mount Tarawera erupted, and in doing so completely obliterated the village of Te Wairoa and the "Eighth Wonder of the World" ~ the Pink and White Terraces.

Nothing remains of the Terraces, tiers of natural hot springs, but the remnants of the village and hotel now form one of Rotoruas most famous attractions.

The story of this catastrophic eruption, in which over 150 Maori and Pakeha (Europeans) were killed, is told in the museum and by the tour guides - several of whom are direct descendants of the original Maori guides of the Terraces. As you wander through what is now a really tranquil place, you can see the excavations and reconstructions of several 'whares' (dwellings), a stone storehouse and a blacksmiths workshop, as well as the old hotel (including its cellar where full bottles of whiskey were excavated!).

This was a Maori village that was famous for its White and Pink Terraces. A volcanic explosion burried the whole village, but they are excavating it now. On the way over to the Burried Village from Rotorua, you'll pass the Blue and Green Lakes, a monster lives in one of them according to the stories. The Burried Village is interesting, the guides are nice, but they could make more of it than it is now.

This is a traditional Maori village (Te Wairoa ) which was one of three villages buried in the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption which claimed 153 lives. The village sits one mile from Lake Tarawera and 15 mins from Rotorua. You can walk through the grounds and see excavations of the blacksmiths shop, barmans house, flour mill and the Rotomahana Hotel. If you following on down the stream through the native bush you come to a spectacular waterfall.

One of the most historical things you can do when you go to Rotorua is to visit the Buried Village. Rotorua used to be the starting point for visitors to come when they were on their way to see the 8th Wonder of the World, the Pink and White Terraces in which steaming hot water slowly made its way down the mountain into pools at the bottom.

A great volcanic explosion buried these terraces as well as the village of Te Wairoa, which ended for the most part most of the tourism to this region. The historians of the area began digging out this village and have turned it into a historical place to come and learn about that tragedy.

We didn't plan to visit the Village, we didn't know about it we spotted a sign and decided to have a look.

This is an amazing place, really strange walking through a village which was lived in but destroyed by the Tarawera Volcano which erupted.

They have also dug out some of the mud so you can see how much mud actually went into the village and the homes.

They have a lovely pathway which links the excavated sites and enjoy the unspoilt native bush.

Open everyday from 9am except Christmas Day.

Pictures to follow very soon