June 10, 1886 Eruption of Okataina
Okataina in New Zealand erupted on June 10, 1886 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5. The eruption killed 153 people. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Okataina, New Zealand, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- June 10, 1886
- Volcano
- Okataina, lava dome
- Country
- New Zealand
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 5, very large (eruption column over 25 km)
- Killed by
- Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 38.157° S, 176.507° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 153
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Almost all died as a result of burial by tephra. 147 Maoris and 6 Europeans. Villages affected included: Te Ariki (52 killed), Moura (39), Te Wairo (14), Rotomahana (11). (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Okataina
More
Every eruption in 1886The 1800sOkatainaEarthquakes near OkatainaThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 1343.