The last major eruption from Lake Taupo , the Hatepe eruption , occurred in 232 AD . It is believed to have first emptied the lake then followed that feat with a pyroclastic flow that covered about of land with volcanic ash . A total of of material is believed to have been ejected , and over of material is estimated to have been ejected in just a few minutes . The date of this activity was previously thought to be 186AD as the ash expulsion was thought to be sufficiently large to turn the sky red over Rome and China ( as documented in Hou Han Shu ) , but this has since been disproven
Hatepe eruption
Hatepe eruption
Taupo Volcanic Zone