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Story: Historic volcanic activity

Rangitoto Island

Image
Rangitoto Island

Charles Heaphy painted this watercolour of the volcanic cone and crater of Rangitoto, probably in the 1850s. Three men and a dog in the foreground indicate the scale. At the time the cone was bare of vegetation, largely because of fires lit by early European settlers.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: C-025-001

by Charles Heaphy

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Carol Stewart and Graham Leonard, Historic volcanic activity – Eruptions in early history, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/6827/rangitoto-island (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, Carol Stewart and Graham Leonard, published 2 March 2009.