A collection of volcanic rocks from Aotearoa (Tarawera volcano) is currently stored in the vaults of the Wills Memorial Building. In 2015, then PhD student Ery Hughes and her supervisor Geoff Kilgour collected the samples and exported them to the UK for analysis using methods unavailable in Aotearoa. Extraction required permission from the local iwi (tribe) Ngāti Rangitihi and the samples were only released from their rohe (land) after an agreement was made to return these samples to the maunga (mountain) once research had been completed.
These arrangements are common in Aotearoa and every iwi has a different approach to releasing and welcoming back samples from their land. Extraction and repatriation agreements are often developed on a case-by-case basis.
Co-created research of our key questions through this case study will help develop a deeper understanding of timescales, opportunities and challenges associated with repatriation of rocks, ethical negotiations, awareness of colonial bias, a readiness to explore radically different ways of thinking and working. This will enable a capacity for future collaboration at a national and/or international level (including multiple universities, collections and museums in the UK and abroad as well as source communities) and to apply for larger research grants.
1886 – Mount Tarawera eruption
In 1886, a large volcanic eruption that 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. Approximately 120 people, nearly all Māori, died.
The Eruption
The eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 was a catastrophic event that dramatically altered the landscape of New Zealand’s North Island and had profound effects on the surrounding communities. Here’s a summary of key information about the eruption:
- Date and Location: The eruption occurred on June 10, 1886, in the vicinity of Mount Tarawera, located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone on the North Island of New Zealand.
- Cause: The eruption was triggered by a series of earthquakes, which were likely associated with the movement of magma beneath the surface. Mount Tarawera is a complex volcanic system with multiple vents, and the eruption involved the simultaneous eruption of several vents along a fissure.
- Extent of the Eruption: The eruption was one of the largest in New Zealand’s recorded history. It generated massive columns of ash and volcanic debris that reached heights of several kilometers into the atmosphere. Pyroclastic flows, lava flows, and lahars (mudflows) also devastated the surrounding landscape.
- Effects: The eruption had devastating consequences for the local Māori communities living in the area, particularly the Tūhourangi tribe, whose villages and ancestral lands were buried or destroyed by volcanic debris. The famed Pink and White Terraces, natural silica formations revered as the eighth wonder of the world, were also obliterated by the eruption.
- Casualties and Damage: The eruption resulted in the loss of an estimated 120 lives, although the exact number is uncertain due to inconsistencies in records and the remote location of some affected settlements. Numerous villages, including Te Wairoa (The Buried Village), were completely buried under volcanic ash and debris, leading to significant loss of life and property.
- Aftermath: The eruption had long-lasting effects on the region’s landscape and ecology. It created new volcanic features, such as the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, and altered the course of rivers and lakes. The event also sparked scientific interest in the study of volcanic hazards and led to improved monitoring and understanding of volcanic activity in New Zealand.
The Aftermath
In the early hours of 10 June, locals awoke to earthquakes, lightning, fountains of molten rock, and columns of smoke and ash up to 10 km high. A 17-km-long rift split Mt Tarawera and extended as far south as Waimangu. The eruption covered land with millions of tonnes of ash and debris, transformed lakes, and flattened bush. It was over by dawn, though ash made day as dark as night. Men from Rotorua and Ōhinemutu formed rescue parties and began digging out survivors and casualties. Settlements at Te Tapahoro, Moura, Te Ariki, Totarariki, Waingongongo and Te Wairoa were destroyed or buried. Te Wairoa, now known as ‘The Buried Village’, later became a tourist attraction.
In the early hours of 10 June, the domed mountains of Wāhanga, Ruawāhia and Tarawera split apart, spewing forth millions of tonnes of ash and debris. The fissure extended down the mountain and through the terraces, from Rotomahana to Waimangu, some 10 kilometres away. Earthquakes were felt throughout the North Island. Auckland residents mistook the noise for distant cannon fire.
The following day it was pitch black from Rotoiti to Maketū – ash choked the skies. Lake Rotomahana, its terraces and over 150 Tūhourangi–Ngāti Rangitihi residents were buried. Protected by a valley, the village of Te Wairoa was distant enough for most residents to survive. Many sheltered in Guide Sophia’s house, which did not collapse. The priest Tūhoto Ariki also survived: he was dug from his buried house four days later.
Te Arawa kin provided shelter, clothing, lands and food for the survivors. Most found refuge at Whakarewarewa (Ngāti Wāhiao), Ngāpuna (Ngāti Hurunga), Waitangi (Tapuika), Matatā (Ngāti Rangitihi) and Coromandel (Ngāti Hei). Descendants of the tribe still live in these places today. Because the government acquired the devastated area soon after the eruption, the people of Tūhourangi could not return to their Tarawera homeland when it recovered in the early 1900s. Today Tūhourangi are seeking redress through the Waitangi Tribunal.
2008 – The science
The eruption of Tarawera, with its explosive nature and large plumes of ash that reached 25km high up into the athmosphere, was very unusual for basaltic eruptions. Basaltic lavas are usually more viscous and eruptions include lava flows similar to what people have witnessed in Iceland in the past years.
In 2008, volcanologist Goeff started fieldwork that supported a research project to understand the reasons behind the explosive nature of the eruption. For this, samples were collected from from mount Tarawere to analyse small melt inclusions.
The Tarawera phantom canoe
On 31 May 1886, so the story runs, a phantom war canoe sped silently across the waters of Lake Tarawera in the shadow of Mt. Tarawera, the “Burnt Peak” of the Maoris, its outline ghostly in the morning mists that a wintry sun could not quite dispel. Eerie and uncanny though it all was, watchers had no difficulty in discerning the craft’s double row of occupants, one row paddling and the other standing wrapped in flax robes, their heads bowed and, according to Maori eyewitnesses, their hair plumed as for death with the feathers of the huia and the white heron. To the terrified Maoris these were the souls of the departed being ferried to the mountain of the dead. But everyone knew there was no war canoe on the lake, which had borne no such craft in living memory.
James Cowan, in his Fairy Folk Tales of the Maori, says the spectre was clearly seen by the matakite, “those of the wise and understanding eye”; but confirmation is lent to the story that circulated through the whares and low-roofed thatched huts of Te Wairoa throughout the rest of the day by the testimony supplied by a mixed company of European tourists early abroad on the lake on a sightseeing trip. It may well be that, but for such evidence, the story of the phantom canoe would have remained just another of the innumerable legends that comprise Maori lore.
To the Maoris in the village and on the lake the occurrence had only one meaning. It was an omen of disaster, dire and inevitable, the certainty of which was rendered the more sure by the fact that earlier on the same morning the waters of the lake rose suddenly over its whole expanse, and as unexpectedly subsided again in a matter of minutes. Not that this incident produced any immediate panic. The whole countryside was all too familiar with the perennial menace of Tamaohoi, the fierce cannibal chief of the tangata-whenua, whom Ngatoro-i-rangi, the high priest of the Arawa war canoe, 500 hundred years before, had caused to be imprisoned forever in a waro, or chasm, deep down in the bowels of the slumbering fire mountain. Always in the back of the minds of the Maoris had lurked fears of Tamaohoi’s vengeance, and when Tuhoto the Ariki, a violent quarrelsome old warlock placed a curse on Te Wairoa after his tribe disowned him, there were those who were quite certain that eventually he would invoke the spirit of the mountain to vindicate him.
Myth it may all have been, but for the scoffers there is the incontrovertible fact that 11 days after the lake’s upheaval and the swift passage of the phantom war canoe, on 10 June 1886, Mt. Tarawera exploded to an accompaniment of earthquake, fire, and flood, and Te Wairoa was one of three villages completely obliterated. The meaning of the spectral canoe was plain. The mountain had taken its vengeance.
So much for the story which might readily be dismissed as just another myth. But in the case of the phantom canoe, there were independent eyewitnesses, disinterested persons uninfluenced by superstition and probably wholly unaware of the particular legend relating to these occurrences. Among such were Mrs R. Sise, of Dunedin, and her husband and daughter, who were visiting Te Wairoa at the time. Their recollections of that eventful morning must be given every consideration, since Mrs Sise the same evening included them in a letter to her son in Dunedin, R. G. Sise.
The tourists had been waiting to embark on a cruise of the lake with the famous Maori guide Sophia. In the party were three other Maori women, six Maori rowers, and a Dr Ralph, Father Kelleher, a priest from Auckland, and a Mr Quick, also from Auckland. Mrs Sise described their experiences in detail. Before anyone could enter the waiting boat, the lake level rose swiftly, surrounding the group with water, and then the water subsided even more speedily. The Maoris reacted violently to this phenomenon and at first refused point blank to put out on to the lake. After some persuasion they agreed to do so, though one of the boatmen was heard to say darkly, “Very well, we can die but once, so we will all go down together”. Mrs Sise stated also that Sophia, later, seeing a white steam cloud hovering over Tarawera, quietly murmured, “I don’t think I shall see the Terraces again”. (These were the world-famous Pink and White Terraces destroyed in the subsequent eruption.)
The sighting of the phantom canoe is best described in Mrs Sise’s own words: “After sailing for some time we saw in the distance a large boat, looking glorious in the mist and the sunlight. It was full of Maoris, some standing up, and it was near enough for me to see the sun glittering on the paddles. The boat was hailed but returned no answer. We thought so little of it at the time that Dr Ralph did not even turn to look at the canoe, and until our return to Te Wairoa in the evening we never gave it another thought”.
“Then to our surprise we found the Maoris in great excitement, and heard from McCrae [a permanent resident] and other Europeans that no such boat had ever been on the lake.”
A second tourist boat on the lake that morning also reported having sighted the ghost canoe, and one of the passengers on board, Josiah Martin, actually sketched his impression of the spectacle. Unfortunately, it is not known what became of this drawing, or whether it is still in existence.
by Ronald Jones, Journalist and Script Writer, New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, Wellington.
- (For further details of “The Phantom Canoe” see the files of Otago Daily Times, June 1886. These give the best account of the incident. Ed.)
2010 – Hinemihi meeting house return
Hinemihi is a revered and iconic meeting house (wharenui) of the Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao tribe, located in the vicinity of Te Wairoa village, near Rotorua on New Zealand’s North Island. The history of Hinemihi is deeply intertwined with the cultural heritage of the Tūhourangi people and holds significant importance as a symbol of resilience and cultural identity.
Constructed in the late 19th century, Hinemihi served as a communal gathering place for the Tūhourangi community, hosting ceremonies, meetings, and other social and cultural events. The meeting house was intricately carved and adorned with traditional Māori designs, reflecting the artistic prowess and spiritual beliefs of its creators.
However, the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886 had a profound impact on the Tūhourangi people and their way of life. Te Wairoa village, where Hinemihi stood, was devastated by volcanic ash and debris, and many lives were lost. Remarkably, Hinemihi survived the eruption, albeit partially buried under volcanic material.
In the aftermath of the eruption, the Tūhourangi people faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and communities. Despite the challenges, they remained resilient and determined to preserve their cultural heritage, including Hinemihi. The meeting house was carefully excavated and restored, becoming a symbol of hope and endurance for the Tūhourangi people.
In the early 20th century, Hinemihi found a new home in England, where it was gifted to the 4th Earl of Onslow, William Hillier Onslow, by the Tūhourangi people as a token of friendship and gratitude. It was transported to his estate at Clandon Park in Surrey, where it stood as a unique cultural landmark amidst the English countryside.
Today, Hinemihi continues to serve as a symbol of cultural exchange and reconciliation between the Tūhourangi people and the wider world. Despite being thousands of miles away from its original location, Hinemihi remains a focal point for Māori communities in England and a testament to the enduring spirit of the Tūhourangi people. Efforts to preserve and protect Hinemihi’s cultural legacy are ongoing, ensuring that its significance is honored for generations to come.
2023 – How to ethically decolonise rock and mineral colelctions
Links
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-night-tarawera-awoke/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/6842/devastation-caused-by-the-tarawera-eruption