The 1886 Mount Tarawera Eruption :: volcano, Mount Tarawera

In this essay I will tell you about the 1886 Tarawera Eruption. More specifically I will tell you about the effects the 1886 eruption had on the natural environment and ton the local communities of the region. 10th of June 1886, soon after midnight. Mt Tarawera light up like fireworks. BOOM! Molten rock came flying out of the crater, with a cloud of ash rising 9.5km into the sky. People as far as Blenheim could hear the thunder like noises but had no idea what it could be. Although the people of Rotorua knew exactly what was happening Mount Tarawera was erupting! The Mt. Tarawera eruption was the largest eruption in New Zealand for 800 years. Before the eruption, many people claimed to see a ghostly canoe on Lake Rotomahana. Maori say it was warning them that death is coming. The lake temperatures were also changing as well as more waves. Sadly nobody linked those back to Mt. Tarawera. The eruption caused the land to dramatically change. In my mind I think the biggest loss would have to be the pink and white terraces. The loss of pink and white terraces was a huge blow to New Zealand's tourist industry. People around the world came to bathe in these marvels which covered a 3 ha (hectares) area and descending 30 metres, they were massive. The pink and white terraces were about to be named one of the seven wonders of the world. No tourists would want to come and see the ash over the terraces. Millions of dollars lost. After the eruption, the region of Tarawera was covered by infertile ash. The eruption layered the volcanic ash which is very poor in nutrients. This meant that the people could no longer grow their food or graze animals. Maori used to call the central North Island â€Å"Kaingaora† Meaning Lean and hungry land. The native bushes and scrub land close to Tarawera's eruption was burnt and a lot of vegetation have never recovered. This resulted in another source of food and building materials was destroyed, making it an even harder area to live in. For one village, Te Wairoa, was covered in ash. This meant that the people had to move and start a new village and life. Around Tarawera the lakes and rivers became heavily polluted with ash.