Rangitoto Island; Auckland’s newest and largest volcano. image: Su Leslie 2019
It’s just over 24 hours since the sudden volcanic eruption of Whakaari/White Island off New Zealand’s east coast left at least five people dead, 31 injured and eight more missing.
Volcanic activity is weirdly compelling to watch. Visitors have flocked to geologically active places since tourism began, and despite frequent eruptions and a perpetual, slightly toxic, steam cloud, Whakaari/White Island had become a major tourist attraction.
As I walk on a beach studded with the jagged remains of old lava flows, beneath one volcanic cone and within sight of several others, I’m conscious of how much of New Zealand’s topography has been (and continues to be) formed by volcanic activity.
Some volcanic fields, like that on which Auckland lies, tend to have single eruptions on specific sites within the field. Others, like Whakaari and the mountains of the central North Island are polygenetic, erupting multiple times with varying frequency and intensity.
No matter how much our rational brains understand this, yesterday’s tragedy is a somber reminder of how thin the crust we walk on really is.
Zimmerbitch 
and you were scared of bugs, spiders and snakes in Australia
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Yeah: I guess it’s a case of frequency versus magnitude.
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Well put Su
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What a disaster! Makes you wonder why the tour companies were still taking people their as I understand there had been warnings.
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That is the question that’s being — quite rightly — asked.
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That is the bit I truly do not understand…
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I hope investigations at least result in some clearer, tougher regulations.
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Absolutely agree
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The shadowing and shades in your photo are very beautiful, Su. We humans of the hi-tech age do not like to accept that we are NOT in control of our environment. It’s an interesting paradox, isn’t it. A form of magical thinking even when we have all kinds of hard facts and evidence literally at our fingertips – those of us with smart phones that is, which would not be me.
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That’s true.
In this case the apparent availability of evidence of increased activity didn’t stop the tour groups going to the island.
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I suspect the tourists were completely unaware of the danger. They probably relied on the knowledge and professionalism of tour operators not to place them in danger. I guess all will be revealed in the investigations.
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I’ve seen brochures for the trip, and they had quite clear warnings about it being an active volcano, and potentially dangerous. It’s sold as something exciting to do, so I doubt tourists could be completely unaware. But I agree visitors would rely on the operators to assess risk on the day, and they may have made a really bad call.
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Yep. 😪
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Thank you, Su and others, for adding to my general knowledge of New Zealand, and this most unfortunate event.
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a terrible tragedy. a reminder that nature is so much stronger than us
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True.
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I am so sorry to hear about this. Somehow the US media has not picked up on it. 😦
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Thanks Amy.
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If the earth was reduced to the size of an egg, its crust would be thinner than an eggshell.
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And uneven: it is particularly thin in many parts of NZ.
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So tragic. A solid write, Su.
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Thank you 🙏
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Welcome.
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It was on the news here in Canada Su, truly, tragic.
Leslie xoxo
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Tragic event, and plenty of questions……
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Yes; I hope the inevitable investigations result in some positive changes, as happened after the Christchurch earthquakes.
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Yes, let’s hope so
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I’ve been so sorry to read about the volcano, Su and my heart goes out to all the people, including the brave rescuers. Reading the comments on your post reminded me of how the multitude of ‘small print’ warnings we have to agree to these days makes it less likely we assess them with the care some of them deserve. They seem like a legal formality – a way to try to pass responsibility on to us if the worst happens – rather than a picture of what is likely to happen. I don’t think we’ve got the balance right about this yet.
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Thanks Susan.
I agree; a d already the news is full of stories about prosecutions and legal wrangling.
I do know that there were safety briefings given before the boats depart the mainland, but how good they were — and how much people listened …
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It’s a terrible tragedy, I’m so sorry for everyone involved. I hear some of the injured are so badly burned they might not survive.
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Thanks Anabel. There’s not much good news about it: though one couple thought missing has turned up safe apparently and that must be a huge relief for their family.
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It must be.
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What a beautiful shot, Su. I heard about this eruption. Terrible happenings.
janet
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Thanks Janet
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Terrible tragedy indeed. The Quebec media has picked up on it. I immediatly thought of you when I heard the bad news today, and I was so glad when I read your post earlier —It meant that you were okay.
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Thank you for your kind thoughts Dominique. 😀
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Interesting to read your comment above about the tourist literature mentioning how dangerous the site is. People do seem to be attracted to danger.
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That’s true: and New Zealand sells itself as an adventure tourism destination, so tragedies happen. This is definitely one of the worst though.
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I’ve not seen media coverage, Su, but a couple of our walkers have family in New Zealand so it was the subject of discussion when we were out walking yesterday. An awful thing to happen!
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It is terrible. The injuries are horrific and so many dead.
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Such a terrible thing to happen. 😦 It’s astonishing that tours were going on in the past weeks, especially since geological institutes like the one in Potsdam near Berlin kept warning that this was due to happen. I guess the island being in private hands instead of governmental ones was part of the reason for the warnings being ignored. 😦
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It is terrible. There are so many questions that need to be answered. I’m not sure how much ownership of the island affected things though; the owners have a long-standing deal with the government granting the island semi-public status, and they have no involvement in running the tours.
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I see. Still it kind of makes you think that making profit is paramount in this society.
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Absolutely; a lot of people make their living out of the tours — directly and indirectly. Most of the visitors were from a cruise ship, which was only in the area for a day. There must be incredible pressure not to cancel trips under those circumstances. It’s not like other visitors who can just go another day.
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Thank you very much for this deeply personal and insightful post. I am very sorry for the awful tragedy and the loss of so many lives. I have recently published an article on my blog about the danger of adventure tourism with an emphasis on the white island eruption. If you have time, it would be great if you could check out my post, as I would be really interested to hear your thoughts! Thanks 🙂
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I’ve just read your post and left my two cents worth in the comments. It’s an important issue you raise.
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Thank you very much! It is deeply appreciated!
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