It was 6:30 AM when we reached White Island Cafe at Whakatane, New Zealand. The cafe is situated right adjacent to the White Island Tour Operators office, who are the only boat tour operators to the White and Whale Island. The Cafe was not just brimming with coffee but with a lot of energy from the employees, who seem to spread the energy to their guests too! Some of the guests spoke about how rough the sea was and how the weather would make the sailing difficult, while others spoke about packing extra lunch just in case. Marine lovers made a list of possible marine mammals that they would possibly encounter, while we felt like the Skipper of the ship ourselves! Such was the aura of the place and while we were immersed into the experience, a lovely lady stopped by and announced that our vessel was ready to set sail into the vast Pacific Ocean.
Within the next 15 minutes we were out on the PeeJay4 Vessel and settled on the deck in a comfortable corner. Our tour guide came up on the mic and did clearly tell us that it was going to be a rough ride and could possibly take a little over 1.5 hours to reach the destination. Coincidentally, he also spoke about this intriguing story of Lady Wairaka – a statue of the lady on the rock which is a symbol of the town’s naming.
Around 800 years ago, when the Maori first came to Whakatane, they came up this river in the Mataatua canoe or Waka. The men had gone ashore to have a look at the surroundings, leaving the women and children still aboard. Unfortunately, while they were away, the canoe started to drift back out to sea and it was against Maori tradition for women to paddle a boat. However, Lady Wairaka picked up the paddle and shouted to the Gods “E Kia Whakatane Ahau” which means “I will act as a man”. She then paddled the canoe back to shore safely. To honour the lady, a beautiful statue was made right at the point where the back waters meets the sea. That was also the point where our vessel hit the first rough wave and we remembered Lady Wairaka again, hoping she would protect us all the way.
While Island is New Zealand’s only active marine volcano which is estimated to be between 150,000 and 200,000 years old and the geological evidence of its past activity goes back at least 16,000 to 17,000 years back. The complete volcanic structure is 18 Kms long by 16 Kms wide but the island itself is only 2.4 Kms long by 2 Kms wide. The first European to discover White Island was Captain Cook and this was in year 1769. He named it White Island because it appeared white to him from the distance he was at; but if he had come a little closer he would have realised its volcanic origin! It was only around 1826, that Europeans landed on this island and realised it was a volcano. They also figured that this site would bring them the potential deposits of sulphur and the prospects of a successful business.
Around 1830, the White Island was purchased from the Maori’s and became a sulphur mining site. Between 1890 and 1933, several misfortunes occurred at the site due to sudden eruptions, eventually bringing the whole mining operation to a closure. Today White Island is owned by the Buttle Family Trust and is also declared as the Private Scenic Reserve.
An hour passed before we could get a glimpse of the rising smoke from the volcano somewhere in the horizon. One look at the fellow tourists and they all had the same expression – jaw dropped. It is one thing to see an active volcano, but something else to witness in the middle of the sea – and after knowing that only a part of the volcano is on the island but the rest is somewhere on the sea bed, probably right under vessel was indeed stimulating the senses. Sitting on the edge of the deck, we were welcomed by some splashes from the Pacific, but we didn’t mind it at all, for our gaze was fixed on the smoke emancipating from the terrain and the changes in perspective as our vessel battled every strong wave.
As we reached closer to the White Island, we were provided with life jackets and asked to move to an inflatable boat. The boat helps us to get across to the wharf easier, where you just climb the ladder and cross the platform to set foot on one of nature’s wrath! The tourists were essentially split into smaller groups and every group had 2-3 trained guides watching over each and everyone. A mandatory safety aspect while one is at the site is to wear the hard hats provided by the White Island Tour have the gas mask around the neck in case one needs it.
Our guide gave us the basic orientation of the island and the one thing she kept insisting was safety and how important it was to follow her footsteps! She did mean that literally because when we set out on our short trek on the island, there was a small natural formation of a step and as I was about to get on to it, there was a sudden eruption of a smoke, almost resembled the smoke that comes out from Aladdin’s genie lamp!
When we got closer to the eruptions, the guides gave us some candy to chew. While it seemed funny for us to watch the volcano while tossing the candy all directions inside our mouths – it did help us to salivate better and we never felt any uneasiness while inhaling the sulphur smoke. We made several stops during our short trek, chewing candies of course, quite similar to munching popcorn while watching a movie.
Volcanic activity on White Island is constantly being monitored by GeoNet. The alert level for such activity is scaled 0-5, with White Island currently sitting on level 1. The last significant volcanic activity on the Island was a minor eruption in September 2016. Prior to that, the most recent eruptive episode started in August 2012 with an explosive eruption on August 5th, then a period of ash emissions.
Our guide took us on a very detailed, interesting history and geology of the place, which made us understand that this zone was formed by the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the Indo Australian plate. Getting up close to the roaring steam vents, bubbling pits of mud, hot volcanic streams, the stunning lake of steaming acid and holding with your bare hands the rocks thrown from such eruption can only make you humble! Standing in front of the inner crater with smoke that reaches all the way to the clouds, makes you look helpless – as the situation daunts blatantly that as a human race, we stand unmatched with nature and the vivid hues of yellow and turquoise blue makes you speechless at the same time.
Enough time is given to the tourist to take photographs and for some selfie indulgence, with the watchful eyes of the guides that would never leave you! Looking at the vastness of the sea standing from the navigable (and a safe) part of the island was a great inclusion in the itinerary by the White Island Tours. After about one hour spent at the various crater spots, we went on to visit the remains of the sulphur mining factory. Clearly resembling a ghost factory, one can endure the hardships the workers from this factory would have faced. In less than two hours, we were on our vessel again, greeted by a great lunch and a chance to personally interact with the senior most personnel about the history of the White Island Tours.
Somewhere in the 1990, Peter & Jenny Tait, sought for a change in lifestyle and gave up their farming careers and began to embark on a new journey in their lives. The idea of wanting a ‘new life’ eventually gave birth to White Island Tours, where the couple started off as fishing and diving charter operators. Soon enough, they began to build Peejay – I (with a capacity of just 6 passengers) and launched it in 1991. This was soon replaced by the 12-passenger vessel Peejay – II in the year 1992.
For quite sometime, Peter & Jenny went about with their business until one day, when near White Island, one of their clients requested for a stop over at the volcanic island. Of course the request was obliged, and the rest, as they say is a sweet history.
The couple eventually had to abandon their fishing and diving charter and focus entirely on the tours of White Island. Of course they also kept upgrading their vessel in order to cater to the ever growing tourists and their demands. Today, their fleet includes Peejay IV with a capacity of 44, Predator with a capacity of 50, Phoenix and Moutohorā Cat (boats) and a 38-unit motel, a café and gift shop.
Indeed Peter & Jenny’s passion for the volcano and sea is evident. Their consistent effort to protect the island by encouraging responsible tourism (as one of the tools for conservation the environment) has certainly resulted in its popularity. If one is able to visit and experience this ‘world’s most accessible island,’ it is only because of their endless effort to create a safe and secure environment.
The next question in the scheme of things would be, what tools/ approaches the company uses in order to maintain responsible tourism?
When Peter & Jenny went to the White Island for the first time, the island did not look as pristine as it is today. Pretty much anyone could gain access to the island back then. The constant human presence and lack of any restriction whatsoever, did have some harmful impact on the environment. However, White Island was declared a scenic reserve in the 1950s and has remained one ever since. It is also privately owned. However, none of these came for a song! It was only in the year 1995, a partial control was exercised, thereby bringing in some rules and regulations. Three years later, Peter & Jenny were appointed the official guardians of the island and have largely been responsible for a lot of conservation activities and imposing efficient rules and regulations in order to protect the natural environment.
Today there are only four operators who operate to the island and this means that a lot of human activities are contained and regulated. As tourists, we could feel the efforts taken by the entire team of White Island Tours and how mindful they are when it comes to conserving this fascinating spectacle for generations to come.
Quick Tips
- Sit on the deck. It is certainly far easier to spot marine life from the deck.
- Follow the guidance of the operators if you want to stay uninjured
- Carry less and take some candies along
- Ensure to wash your hands and other exposed parts of your body right after the tour
- Don’t even think of littering. Respect the place and efforts taken by the Tour Operators and the fellow tourists who believe in leaving the place unharmed.
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