Buried Village

About the activity provider

Tourism in NZ began at Te Wairoa (Buried Village) in the early 1800's. It was established by the Christian missionary in 1848 as a model Maori and European village but survived for fewer than 40 years before it and the nearby world famous Pink and White Terraces were obliterated by the eruption of Mt Tarawera (NZ's 'Pompei' story) on the 10th June 1886. The fatality of the eruption killed over 150 people (local Maori believe it was over 300) and many Maori family surnames disappeared from the early New Zealand population register forever! The McGrath (nee Smith) family continue their 80+ year passion and personal commitment to restoring the original township and share the stories of conflicting cultures, tragedy, survival and resilience. Today, the Buried Village has an award winning Museum, a 1 km of archaeological walking trail and the beautiful and amazing Te Wairoa Waterfall trail.