Te Wairoa

This buried Maori village lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Tarawera. 14km southeast of Rotorua the road (signposted) runs past Tikitapu (the Blue Lake) and Rotokakahi (the Green Lake) and comes to Te Wairoa. Here a small exhibition of old photographs and objects found under the lava gives some impression of what the village was like before its destruction.

Among the houses that have been excavated is the one occupied by the tohunga who predicted a great calamity. There are also remains of a mill and a tourist hotel, as well as an ancient stone Maori storehouse with archaic figures.