Taupo 's most recent major eruption , the Taupo or Hatepe eruption , took place around 180 CE , and is New Zealand 's largest eruption since Oruanui . It ejected some 120 km ³ of material ( rating 7 on the VEI scale ) , with around 30 km ³ ejected in just a few minutes . It is believed that the eruption column was high , twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980 . This makes it one of the most violent eruptions in the last 5000 years ( alongside the Tianchi eruption of Baekdu at around 1000 and the 1815 eruption of Tambora ) . The resulting ash turned the sky red over Rome and China
Hatepe eruption
Hatepe eruption
Volcanology of New Zealand