Thread: Eruption at Whakaari/White Island, Bay of Plenty

Update. Tourists from a cruise liner berthed at Tauranga are among the injured


One critically injured, others missing after NZ volcanic eruption

Why White island erupted, and why there was no warning.


Why White Island erupted and why there was no warning

Talking to my niece this morning - she did that tour three weeks ago.......

I thought this island volcano seemed familiar, I'd seen it on "Coast New Zealand" on SBS I think, the last time it blew up the only survivor was the miner's cat, actually I think the eruption caused a tremor which caused the fatal landslide. Really saddening that this has happened again.

"Attempts were first made to mine sulfur on White Island around the beginning of the 20th century. On 10 September 1914, 10 miners were killed when part of the crater wall collapsed, causing a landslide.The only survivor was the mining company’s cat, Peter the Great. Sulfur was used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid and superphosphate fertiliser." (sic)
Eruption on White Island kills 10 people | NZHistory, New Zealand history online

If there is anything to be learned from this terrible experience , or should I say re-learned , is we never know what lays ahead. keep your loved ones close. Catch up on old friends, do a complete stranger a good turn. A smile costs nothing and hurts no one. Life is short, live it well.

R

Originally Posted by bob10

If there is anything to be learned from this terrible experience , or should I say re-learned , is we never know what lays ahead. keep your loved ones close. Catch up on old friends, do a complete stranger a good turn. A smile costs nothing and hurts no one. Life is short, live it well.

Don’t walk around in the crater of an active volcano!

Originally Posted by Barraman

R

Don’t walk around in the crater of an active volcano!

That too. Edit. Probably not the right moment to say it out loud.

Originally Posted by bob10

That too. Edit. Probably not the right moment to say it out loud.

I disagree! These things should be said when they are most likely to get into peoples heads.

I know White Is - have flown past it at low level on a number of occasions when living in NZ in the 80's. There is NOTHING that would induce me to set foot on it.

If someone has the right information and appreciates the risk involved with an activity, and makes an informed decision to do so anyway - then fair enough. However, in this case I don't believe the tourists had sufficient information to make an informed decision. They put their trust in the tour operator.

There is a video of the volcano spewing steam and ash from the crater 4 days before the big eruption.

I am not risk averse, and indulge in a number of activities that others might see as "risky", but I know that I have all the information I need to make an informed decision about the risk and how to manage it to my satisfaction.

If all the facts were known, I doubt that activity would have passed the most basic risk assessment.