Walkway reveals Tarawera region's hidden beauty

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

A stunning view of Tarawera's volcanic scenery, obscured since the violent 1886 eruption which destroyed the world-renowned Pink and White Terraces, has been exposed again.

The owners of the Buried Village near Rotorua have built an attractive walkway along a 30m-high cliff above the famous Te Wairoa waterfalls.

Months of hard work clearing the escarpment of impenetrable blackberry, scrub and noxious weeds - much of it done by abseiling - has unveiled fresh views of the Waitoharuru Valley down to Lake Tarawera, with the Okataina volcanic complex in the distance.

Before the Mt Tarawera eruption 118 years ago - which buried the village of Te Wairoa, killing 153 people - visitors wanting to see the Pink and White Terraces would walk down the Waitoharuru escarpment into the valley to board their boats on Lake Tarawera.

The terraces were known as the "eighth wonder of the world" before the terrible unexpected convulsion, which is still New Zealand's greatest natural disaster.

For more than four hours in the early morning, rocks, ash and mud bombarded the peaceful village, the birthplace of tourism in this country.

The settlement and 8000 square metres of scenic countryside were covered by 2m of thick volcanic material.

Buried Village managing director Pam McGrath, a member of the third generation of family owners of the award-winning tourist drawcard, said the rediscovered views were "one of Rotorua's best-kept secrets".

Now the public had easy access to perhaps the most sensational wilderness lookouts in the region, she said yesterday.

The boardwalk will be officially opened by the Mayor of Rotorua, Kevin Winters, on December 5. It completes a three-year construction project that takes visitors above and below the waterfalls.

Mrs McGrath said the latest track was a continuation of the 2km pathway system around the village's excavated sites and an alternative for people unwilling or unable to take the more strenuous route down through the waterfall zone.

To make it accessible to wheelchairs, a timber viaduct has been built above a small hanging valley, leading to a viewing platform.

Te Wairoa, a 15-minute drive from Rotorua city, has been owned and developed by the Smith family for nearly 75 years. Mrs McGrath's grandparents Violet and Reg Smith, who emigrated from Devon, saw the potential of the blackberry-covered property in 1931 and began excavating some of the 60 buried buildings.