On the 10th of June 1886 (132 years ago today) Mount Tarawera (South East of Rotorua) erupted causing significant loss of life, property, and natural features. The most notable of the natural features destroyed (or so it was thought) was the Pink and White Terraces.
The photograph below is of McRae’s Hotel after the eruption.
The photographer was Charles Spencer (born England 1854 – died New Zealand 1933). A Tauranga and later Auckland based photographer, Spencer was commissioned immediately after the eruption by the Director of the New Zealand Geological Survey to travel with him and record what was to be found. As Spencer had previously recorded the area, and especially the Pink and White Terraces, he was well placed to record the devastation.
There will be more Spencer photographs over time.
Information on the Tarawera eruption can be found via these links.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/eruption-of-mt-tarawera
https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/6842/devastation-caused-by-the-tarawera-eruption
Information on Charles Spencer can be found:
https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/2064
https://nzphotohistorian.blogspot.com/search/label/Charles%20Spencer