Commemorate Rotorua history and raise money at Buried Village Open Day

Buried Village open day for Mt Tarawera eruption commemoration.

Commemorating a key moment in Rotorua's history and raising funds for a worthy cause comes together this weekend at the Buried Village of Te Wairoa's Open Day.

The eruption of Mt Tarawera on June 10, 1886 lasted six hours and caused massive destruction.

It destroyed several villages, along with the famous silica hot springs known as the Pink and White Terraces. About 120 people died.

Tarawera eruption, 10 June 1886. Guide Sophia's whare and the Temperance Hotel in Te Wairoa after the eruption. Photo / File

This Thursday, June 10, was the 135th anniversary of the eruption.

Buried Village of Te Wairoa operations manager Amanda McGrath says once a year, around June 10, they hold an Open Day for everyone to come along for a gold coin donation.

She says each year they change up the charity donated to from the day, and this year's charity is Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

Amanda thinks there might be more grandparents raising their grandchildren than people realise, for many different reasons.

"I think it's a worthy charity to support because it is a backbone for those grandparents, we hope to help raise awareness of their existence as there might be grandparents in Rotorua raising their grandchildren who don't know about its services."

Buried Village of Te Wairoa operations manager Amanda McGrath hopes to see many people at the Open Day. Photo / Andrew Warner

She says they had more than 1800 people come through the Open Day in 2019.

There wasn't one held last year as the Buried Village was still closed due to Covid, so she is expecting quite a few people on Sunday, she says.

"We've got lots of activities for children and families, and we've got lots of yummy food and drink to be bought.

"It's nice at this time of year to have that really busy feeling, and after last year of not being open at this time, it's a great opportunity to get as many people out here as we can."

She thinks it is a key Rotorua story and a fascinating topic to learn about.

"If there are families out there that haven't been here before it's a great opportunity to come and learn about the story and people.

"It's a part of the Rotorua landscape, and shows a bit of how volatile the land we live on is.

"It's a great way of teaching kids and adults about being prepared for emergencies in the kind of environment we live in."

The details
- What: Buried Village Open Day
- When: Sunday, June 13, 10am - last entry about 3.30pm
- Where: Buried Village of Te Wairoa
- Gold coin donation