Following a 27-hour period of intense earthquake activity, Tavurvur and Vulcan volcanoes on opposite sides of the Rabaul caldera erupted on September 19, 1994, at 6:05 a.m. and 7:17 a.m. respectively. The eruption column from Vulcan sent ash to at least 18 kilometers above sea level, and nearby Rabaul Town was quickly covered with ash between 25 and 80 centimeters thick. Activity stopped at Vulcan within about two weeks, but intermittent eruptive activity still continues at Tavurvur.

Small explosions at Tavurvur continued through December 1994. A short quiet period was followed by mild explosive activity between February and April 1995, which sent ash columns a few kilometers into the air. After another pause lasting about 6 months, frequent small explosions and ash emission resumed at Tavurvur in November 1995. Noteworthy activity since then includes intermittent strong strombolian activity, lava flows, and a small pyroclastic flow. On May 11, 1996, strombolian activity ejected slabs of lava 10 to 15 meters in diameter hundreds of meters above the vent and meter-sized blocks about 1 kilometer from the vent. On October 5, Tavurvur began erupting it's largest lava flow (4-5 million cubic meters) of the past 200 years. Another lava flow was erupted from Tavurvur in March 1997, and a strong explosion generated a small pyroclastic flow on April 12. Minor explosions and ash emission continue at Tavurvur and ash continues to fall intermittently on Rabaul Town and other areas around the caldera.

The Smithsonian Institution's Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network provides online summaries of Rabaul caldera since 1996.