Several later eruptions occurred over the millennia before the most recent major eruption , which is traditionally dated as about 181 CE from Greenland ice-core records . Tree ring data from two studies suggests a later date of 232 CE ± 5 . Known as the Hatepe eruption , it is believed to have ejected 100 cubic kilometres of material , of which 30 cubic kilometres was ejected in a few minutes . This was one of the most violent eruptions in the last 5000 years ( alongside the Minoan eruption in the 2nd millennium BCE , the Tianchi eruption of Baekdu around 1000 CE and the 1815 eruption of Tambora ) , with a Volcanic Explosivity Index rating of 7 ; and there appears to be a correlation , to within a few years , of a year in which the sky was red over Rome and China . The eruption devastated much of the North Island and further expanded the lake . The area was uninhabited by humans at the time of the eruption , since New Zealand was not settled by the Māori until about 1280 . Possible climatic effects of the eruption would have been concentrated on the southern hemisphere due to the southerly position of Lake Taupo . Taupo 's last known eruption occurred around 30 years later , with lava dome extrusion forming the Horomatangi Reefs , but that eruption was much smaller than the 180 CE eruption
Minoan eruption
Minoan eruption
Lake Taupo