The Buried Village of Te Wairoa

Multi-user Virtual Reality Museum Installation [In Post Production]

The Buried Village of Te Wairoa is one of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s most visited iconic sites – a snapshot in time, unearthing one of the 8 Wonders of the World that was destroyed in 1886 by the eruption of Mount Tarawera. It is a sacred place for local and international visitors alike, one steeped in history and reverence. We are excited by the potential of using VR to transport visitors back in time, to experience both the beauty and ferocity of the natural sciences in a social, immersive way.

This experience has been created in collaboration with the team and rich archive from The Buried Village of Te Wairoa in Rotorua, Aotearoa. This project has been in meticulous development and production for the last 24 months. Our artists took the archival photographs of the time and have recreated the world of 1886 so that visitors from the future will be able to travel there. We spoke with ancestors from the village, local historians and scientists to write an immersive narrative that takes visitors in the story to experience the place, the people and the culture.

The 8 minute narrative will take users back in time to experience the natural wonder of the terraces, then the immense power of the eruption that destroyed the terraces and the community that lived around them.