11 April: Sinking of the steamer Taiaroa near the mouth of the Waiau Toa / Clarence River with the loss of 34 lives.[1]
10 June: Eruption of Mount Tarawera volcano results in the deaths of ~150 people and the (wrongly assumed) destruction of the famous Pink and White Terraces, an error corrected by 2017 research disclosing the locations of the Pink and White Terraces around today's lake.[2][3]
1 September: Police Force Act comes into effect, splitting the New Zealand Police Force from the standing army (and militia).[4]
Sport
Cricket
The first recorded game of Women's cricket in New Zealand takes place in the Nelson district.[5]
The New Zealand Bowling Association is formed with twelve clubs. Only two clubs (from New Plymouth and Auckland) are from the North Island which will eventually lead to the events of 1891.[5] A national championships is held but the winners are not recorded.[6]
^Bunn, Rex; Nolden, Sascha (7 June 2017). "Forensic cartography with Hochstetter's 1859 Pink and White Terraces survey: Te Otukapuarangi and Te Tarata". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 48: 39–56. doi:10.1080/03036758.2017.1329748. ISSN0303-6758. S2CID134907436.
^Hill, Richard Synyer (1995). The Iron Hand in the Velvet Glove. Dunmore Press. p. 7. ISBN978-0-86469-244-3.
^ abcdTodd, S. (1976) Sporting Records of New Zealand. Auckland: Moa Publications. ISBN0-908570-00-7
^The Todd book states that a fours championship (with 28 teams) was held the year that the association was formed (1886) but the list of champions begins in 1888.