Te Wairoa - Definition and Overview

Te Wairoa, also known simply as The Buried Village is located close to the shore of Lake Tarawera in New Zealand's North Island. A Maori settlement, it was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Mount Tarawera on June 10 1886. Over 150 pople died in the eruption, many of them in the village, which was buried under ash.

Regarded as "New Zealand's Pompeii", the excavated ruins of the village are open to the public, as is a museum at the site showing relics recovered and the history of the eruption. It is located 14 kilometres southeast of Rotorua.