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 Nobody would have believed in June 10 1886, that the serenity enjoyed by the inhabitants of Te Wairoa would be shattered by an outpouring of the Earth's fury. Few would have dreamed as the eighth wonder of the world - the fantastic Pink and White Terraces - sparkled in the moonlight, events deep in the ground were menacingly unfolding.
Te Wairoa Village, in a valley above Lake Tarawera, was established by a Christian Missionary in 1848. It was abandoned during the land wars of the 1860's, then repopulated a few years later as the staging post to the Pink and White Terraces.
Violent and unexpected, the eruption was New Zealand's greatest natural disaster. For more than four terrifying hours, rocks, ash and boiling hot mud bombarded the peaceful village. The fiery glow in the night sky and the thunderous roar of the explosions were seen and heard as far away as Auckland.
In the gloom of the day, the wreckage of the hotels and houses, and the burial of 5000 square miles of scenic countryside brought awe and dismay to rescuers.
The eruption destroyed the Terraces and buried Te Wairoa and two smaller villages under hot heavy ash and mud.
More than 150 lives were lost.
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