Note: This post is intended only to share our experience on White Island and NOT to encourage the travel there (if it will ever be open again for tourists). The recent eruption on 9 December 2019 is timely reminder of how unpredictable and deadly an active volcano can do with more than 10 casualties. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible disaster.
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About White Island
White Island is a marine volcano with 70% of it underwater. It is New Zealand’s most continuously active volcano and has been active for at least 150,000 years. It is also NZ’s largest volcano by volume, with the highest point is 321m above sea level and crater floor is less than 30m above sea level. More information on the volcano in “Fact sheet on White Island” from GNS Science, Te Pū Ao, New Zealand.
The marine volcano is around 50km from Whatakane and takes around 50mins to an hour to reach by boat. Aerial view of the island courtesy of Rfleming via Wikivoyage
Signing up for White Island Tour
The island is privately owned and only permitted tour operators are allowed to run guided tours. We signed up with White Island Tours, one of the main tour operator based in Whatakane, the township closest to the island. Daily tours bring more than 10,000 visitors to Whakaari every year via boats or helicopters.
Upon sign-up, we were requested to furnish the age of children traveling as they only allow children at least 6 years old to join the tour due to safety concerns. Their minimum recommended age, though, is set at 8 years old. The cost of the half-day tour was at NZ$229 per adult and NZ$130 per child.
Once booking and payment were made, we received a confirmation email detailing the tour, what to bring and terms and conditions. The final confirmation email was provided the evening before at 8.30pm if it was a morning tour or the morning of travel if it was an afternoon tour. It was stated in our email that final confirmation was dependent on weather, tide conditions and passenger numbers, though I had always assume also based on Volcanic Alert Levels.
Incidentally, our travel date was the last day in November 2019 when the Volcanic Alert Level was at 1 before it was raised to 2 (moderate to heightened volcanic unrest).
Departing for White Island
The day of our much awaited visit to White Island or Whakaari, NZ’s most active marine volcano was finally here.
We were on the morning tour, scheduled to depart at 8am. Check-in time was from 6.30 to 7.30am at White Island Rendezvous. We were handed indemnity forms to sign and as parents, we had to sign for our children. Having signed on the dotted lines, we were then handed these cones as tickets.
PeeJay IV was the vessel that brought us to the island. It brought us on a fast, sometimes bumpy, boat ride till close to the island.
First glimpse of the island.
Once we were close to the island, we were handed safety vest and transferred to small, inflatable boats right up to the shore.
Finally, on White Island
We were all fully geared with safety helmets and gas masks. On land once we were all gathered, we were given a short safety briefing before we embarked for a walk on the island. The 3 risks which we where briefed on are volcano eruption, landslide and uneven road surfaces. Looking back, since there was considerable risks, we should pay more attention to the briefing but it was covered in a quick, routine manner. Volcanic activity is measured on a Volcanic Alert Level scale of 0 (no volcanic unrest) to 5 (major volcano eruption). On the day of our visit, it was at Level 1 (minor volcanic unrest). For more information on Volcanic Alert Level System, refer to the table at the end of this post.
Our tour guides also touched on the volcano monitoring equipment that are positioned at different points of the island.
All around the island near the crater, there was a sharp, pungent smell due to presence of sulphuric dioxide which is released naturally due to volcanic activity. At certain parts, the fumes was over-powering for us. Still I braved it for this shot. The kids and dad maintained a good distance from it.
A piece of yellow sulphur crystal and volcanic rock for travellers to see and touch.
Four Footsteps heading towards the main crater.
The main crater on the island which is around 700m from the landing dock. The lake in the crater is turquoise but our guide explained it had been in different colours in the past due to different dissolved minerals. It had been blue, green, yellow and even pink!
Thereafter, we were guided to 2 streams running on the island and encouraged to taste the water. Out of novelty, we did. One from North part of the island and one from the South. The first tasted salty with a hint of iron while the second had a faint citrusy taste.
The long defunct factory which was used between the 1920s to 1930s for sulphur mining operations that eventually went bankrupt.
On our way back to Whakatane
Thereafter it was back to PeeJay IV. We were each headed this lunch box once we settled down. The vegetarian meal consisted of cheese sandwiches, a slice of pound cake, a small chocolate slab, a muesli bar and an apple. The sandwich filing consisted of grated cheese in thousand island dressing with basil leaves and was finger-licking good.
As we were eating, PeeJay IV sailed to the North side of the island for us to take a look. This side of the island, we could see greenery with colonies of birds.
Pity there was no sighting of dolphins on that day. Would have made the trip perfect. But we had the chance to touch and hold a jellyfish from the waters before it was released back to the sea.
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New Zealand Volcanic Alert Level System
Source: GNS Science, Te Pū Ao, New Zealand.
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Read about my trip itinerary and the places visited in New Zealand North Island 2019 .
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