Buried Village

In the early 19th century, Europeans who came to visit New Zealand usually were drawn by a single destination: the Pink and White Terraces near Lake Rotorua. Formed by geothermal waters, the terraces were often referred to as the eight wonder of the world. Most of these early-day visitors were based in the town of Te Wairoa, on the shore of Lake Tarawera, from which they would set off to see the Pink and White Terraces. All was destroyed in 1886 when Mount Tarawera erupted in a blast so powerful that it could be heard on South Island.

Today, Te Wairoa, known as the Buried Village, can be visited for a glimpse of this slice of New Zealand history. The family running this archeological site has done a fantastic job excavating the ruins of the village, as well as a large amount of relics and day-to-day objects that were discovered, including china, wine bottles and decorative objet of the historic Rotomahana Hotel, which was also destroyed in the eruption.

The 12-acre grounds also abuts hiking trails through a native bush, one of which leads to a beautiful waterfall. The Buried Village is not worth an extra trip from Taupo, but if you're based in Rotorua and want to learn about this fascinating part of the North Island's history—this region was effectively the cradle of New Zealand tourism — it's worth a morning of exploring. (Come early to avoid sharing the beautiful grounds and surrounding forest with bus tours.)