New Zealand's most visited archaeological site where stories of the 1886 Mount Tarawera Eruption come to life!
The violent volcanic eruption of Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886 which engulfed the village of Te Wairoa in rocks, ash and mud. 150 lives were lost and the eighth wonder of the world; The Pink and White Terraces vanished.
Step back in time and learn the history of Te Wairoa village!
Museum of Te Wairoa - Displayed are a large array of objects over 90 years old excavated from the ruins of the eruption and exhibits of the early settlers.
Archaeological Site - Explore the devastation of the eruption as you walk through the excavated sites which once housed the people of Te Wairoa.
Electronic Tour Devices - If you like to take things at your own pace - free electronic devices provide a video tour of the archaeological site.
Waterfall Trail - View the magnificent Te Wairoa stream and Wairere Falls. Catch a glimpse of the trout in the stream making their way through the crystal clear waters and feel the spray from the stunning waterfall as it plunges 30 metres over the Waitoharuru cliffs.
Smith & Co Cafe + Gift Store - Established in 1931, Smith & Co Cafe and Gift Store provide famous Devonshire Tea and Scones, excellent coffee, delicious home baking and check out the great range of eco-friendly giftware and NZ books.
Children - The kids will love digging in the discovery room and exploring the Buried Village with Smithy our archaeologist, and playing on the playground at the end!
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
An awesome experience and the tour guide was well informed and funny. The water falls are amazing 🤩
great experience, kids loved the treasure hunt! the waterfall walk is lovely & challenging. we learnt alot being immersed in history and reading the different stories of people who lived through the eruption.
A visit has been on our bucket list for a long time, and the experience certainly met, even exceeded, expectations. We started with a morning tea at the cafe which we found very good- good food and good value. Then to the excellent museum. Out into the grounds we found the layout of excavated sites and artifacts to be impressive, with good information boards. There is an optional circuit to a 90-foot waterfall, well worth the effort to take some photos. Then we went back to the museum for a further look. In all, we feel around 3hours is the right amount of time needed, we could have stayed longer by having lunch there, but we had another activity for the day to go to
It was nice being able to come back as an adult and experience the history of The Buried Village. It was an affordable and easy place to visit. We were able to read and see everything in under an hour, even in the rain. We liked the information boards and genuine relics. The reason I’m giving a four is because I feel the place needs a face lift. The sites weren’t that tidy but understandable that it was raining too.
Copyright © 2024 Bookme Limited.
This award identifies a business with a high level of professionalism, a keen awareness of the impact it has on the environment and a commitment to a customer centric approach.
This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business's focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.
This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.
When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism's official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It's your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.
This item will be deleted immediately. You can't undo this action.
Clive Pahl from New Zealand wrote on 26 October 2023
Very good
Very beautiful and we really enjoyed it