The Hatepe eruption's main vents (three of the vents in red) ran parallel to Lake Taupō's current southeastern shore. Present active geothermal systems are in light blue.
The Hatepe eruption, named for the Hatepe Plinian pumicetephra layer,[1] sometimes referred to as the Taupō eruption or Horomatangi Reef Unit Y eruption, is dated to 232 CE ± 10[2] and was Taupō Volcano's most recent major eruption. It is thought to be New Zealand's largest eruption within the last 20,000 years. The eruption ejected some 45–105 km3 (11–25 cu mi) of bulk tephra,[3] of which just over 30 km3 (7.2 cu mi) was ejected in approximately 6–7 minutes.[4] This makes it one of the largest eruptions in the last 5,000 years, comparable to the Minoan eruption in the 2nd millennium BCE, the 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain, the 1257 eruption of Mount Samalas, and the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora.