It is located within the Reporoa Caldera, a caldera in the Taupo Volcanic Zone containing the Deer Hill, Kairuru and Pukekahu rhyolitic lava domes and the active Reporoa geothermal field. Several hydrothermal explosions have occurred in the area, with a large one being recorded in 1948, and another large one occurring in a cow paddock in April 2005.