The Phantom Canoe of Doom

June 10, 1886 - The ground started shaking just after midnight, and at 3:30AM a massive blast rocked the North Island of New Zealand as Mount Tarawera erupted in a spectacle of fire, molten rock and suffocating smoke.

Several villages within a 4-mile range were obliterated by the pyroclastic surge. 153 people died and many more were permanently displaced as their homes were buried under tons of mud and ash.

Some of New Zealand’s most beautiful natural wonders also fell victim to the eruption. The Pink and White Terraces were a series of impressive silica formations that were a favorite destination for well-to-do tourists. For over a hundred years since the eruption they were believed to have been completely obliterated, but recently researchers have found compelling evidence that they may still be there – hundreds of feet below water or the shoreline.

One of the creepy footnotes to the 1886 eruption is the legend of the the Phantom Waka (Canoe). The story goes that 11 days before the volcano blew its top, a boat filled with tourists was returning from a visit to the Pink and White Terraces. As they gazed across Lake Rotomahana they spotted an ornate war canoe heading their way. As it got closer it seemed to vanish into a mist. There were plenty of witnesses, but very few explanations for what they claim to have seen. The Maori tradition was to strap their dead chiefs in an upright position and set them adrift. The water level in the lake was gradually rising in the lead up to the eruption, and perhaps this changing dynamic jostled loose a sunken burial canoe. Whatever the case, you can bet the next time someone sees a phantom canoe on Lake Rotomahana, they’ll take that as fair warning that Mount Tarawera may be ready to blow.