Excavated Sites of
Te Wairoa

New Zealand's Most
Visited Archeological Site

The village, now peaceful and green, hides the devastation of the area's history. Explore the 12 acre park-like setting to discover the remains, excavated evidence and recreated scenes from the lasting devastation that was the Tarawera eruption.

Excavation Begins

The first excavation began in 1931 of a Pataka kai (a food storehouse). This site is a rare example of Māori stone carving and was buried under the volcanic mud that came from Lake Rotomahana. Many of the significant sites were excavated by archaeologists over the next 5 decades; with  the last excavation in 1986 of the Rotomahana Hotel. At each excavated site, interpretive panels explain the sites' history.

The Buried Village today

The sites have been excavated to the original floor levels which shows the depth of mud and volcanic ash that rained down upon the village. To give visitors an idea of how the original village would have looked some of the whare have been reconstructed using traditional materials like ponga (tree fern), and raupo rushes.

The archaeological sites are linked by a winding pathway that lead you through key locations in the original village. A predominantly flat 1km walk, with the more challenging 0.5km waterfall trail. Easy-to-read guide maps will help you on your journey. There's even a treasure hunt for kids and kids at heart.

The archaeological sites take approximately 40 minutes to view.