Volcano in New Zealand
Taupo volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Taupo is being reported right now Last eruption: A.D. 1–1499; last significant eruption 1910 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Taupo: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- A.D. 1–1499 last significant: 1910
- Elevation
- 760 m 2,494 ft
- Type
- Caldera
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Rotorua 78 km NNE
Is Taupo erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Taupo right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to a.d. 1–1499, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 1910. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Taupo
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Taupo in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M5.3 on Oct 15, 2026, 50 km WNW of the summit at 284 km depth.
0 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 05:25 UTC | M5.3 | 50 km WNW | 284 km | 46 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand |
About Taupo
Taupo is a caldera in New Zealand, rising to 760 m (2,494 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Radiocarbon".
A caldera is a large collapse depression left after a major eruption; activity can range from small steam blasts to rare, very large eruptions.
The nearest large town is Rotorua, about 78 km NNE of the summit; 5 other cities lie within 250 km.
- Rotorua (78 km) earthquakes nearby
- Napier (118 km) earthquakes nearby
- Hamilton, Waikato Region (123 km) earthquakes nearby
- Tauranga (124 km) earthquakes nearby
- Hastings, Hawke's Bay Region (126 km) earthquakes nearby
- Whanganui (147 km) earthquakes nearby
Flights and volcanic ash
2 major airports are within 400 km; the closest is Auckland (AKL), 220 km away. Volcanic ash melts in jet engines, so an explosive eruption can close airspace and cancel flights even far downwind.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
| Airport | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland (AKL) | 220 km | NNW |
| Wellington (WLG) | 298 km | SSW |
Other volcanoes in New Zealand
New Zealand has 10 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Tongariro, 48 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in New Zealand
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.