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Story: Volcanic Plateau places

Lake Tarawera

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Lake Tarawera

The largest of the lakes in the Okataina caldera, Lake Tarawera was formed about 5,000 years ago when drainage to the east was blocked by lava flows. This is the lake from the road-end just past Te Wairoa, looking across to the summit of Mt Tarawera, which erupted ferociously in June 1886.

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Department of Conservation

Reference: 10050460

by Chris Rudge

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Volcanic Plateau places – Lake Tarawera district, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/15034/lake-tarawera (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 25 May 2015.