- What was Rotorua like in the past?
- Rotorua used to be very different until 1886, which is when Mt Tarawera erupted, but it still was a popular tourist destination which had some famous natural attractions. Such attractions were: Mt Tarawera, the pink and white terraces, the hot springs and a maori village.
- What happened to these places?
- On the 10th of June 1886, Mt Tarawera erupted. The mountain blew up into hundreds of fragments of burning rock and billowed out smoke, fire, hot ash and toxic gas across Rotorua and the surrounding area.
- The village caught fire as it was showered by hot ash and rock, and when the eruption stopped there was almost nothing left of the village and about 100 people had been killed.
- The pink and white terraces had vanished into the water and the hot springs were now scalding and full of ash and sulfuric gas. As for Mt Tarawera, the top of it was gone and a crater now sat where the proud volcano once stood tall.
- Point: Rotorua is a popular cultural site with a rich history.
- Rotorua has been famous for over 200 years due to a lot of natural things such as: the geysers, the smell, the hot pools, Lake Tarawera and modern man made attractions like the Gondola and the Luge. It was also the first tourist destination in NZ.
- The area has been a cultural site due to the volcano due to the fact the Maori had a god of volcanoes, water and earth which Rotorua was abundant with, making it very popular with the local tribes.
