Taupō supervolcano and caldera Taupō hūnga kerekere me he tawhā

Our biggest volcano isn’t a cone. It’s Lake Taupō, formed about 25,500 years ago in the massive Ōruanui eruption.

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Ehara i te kōeko te puia nui rawa o tēnei whenua. Ko Taupō he roto kē, i āhua mai i te 25,500 tau ki mua, he mahi atua e kīia ana ko te pahūtanga o Ōruanui.

Taupō caldera

The huge eruption spat out so much magma that the ground collapsed kilometres downward and left a caldera – a gigantic collapsed block of land – in its wake. Water filled the hole, and Lake Taupō was formed. 

Watch a reconstruction of this event below.

Taupō supervolcano – Ōruanui eruption, 25,500 years ago
Reference landscape image courtesy of LINZ. CC BY 4.0, Rūaumoko illustration by Ben Te Aika

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Taupō hūnga kerekere

Nā te nui rawa o te tokarewa i tuhaina atu e te puia ka whenuku te whenua e hia manomita ki raro, nō te tatūnga o te puehu, mahue mai ana he tawhā – he poka tōrere nui. Ka rere ko te wai ki roto, ka takoto mai ko Taupō-nui-a-Tia. Tirohia te kiriata i raro.

Taupō supervolcano – Ōruanui eruption, 25,500 years ago
Reference landscape image courtesy of LINZ. CC BY 4.0, Rūaumoko illustration by Ben Te Aika

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