The Bay of Islands has just been topped, but only just!
This was the most amazing of trips ever. White Island lies 49 km off the coast from Whakatane and takes eighty minutes to get there by boat. It’s the only active island volcano in New Zealand and is about 150,000 to 200,000 years old, reaching 321 metres above sea level, though the height from the sea bed is 760 metres. The whole base is 16 kilometres by 18 kilometres, but only 2 kilometres by 2.2 kilometres is visible above the sea.
The Maoris took gannet guano from the island as manure but the first commercial mining for sulphur started in 1869. This continued on-and-off until 1914. This was the year of disasters as firstly Donald Pye went out from the miners’ camp and didn’t return. Only his gum boots remained at the rim of a bubbling pool, but whether it was suicide, an accident or murder, no-one knows. In the same year the rest of the miners were hit by a mudslide that came rushing down the slopes onto them. As no bodies were found, it is thought they were simply bulldozered out to sea.
The island is dynamic and changes on a day-to-day basis, so the guides who lead the tours round never know quite what to expect and sometimes have to change their route to avoid dangerous spots.
Scientists take measurements so they can monitor the amounts and types of gases, pressure, temperature, heights of mounds as well as weather and acidity of the water. Acidity on the island is often 1 or 2 (pretty acidic) but the water in these rivulets at the moment is -1.
The evidence of sulphur was obvious to us, both from the bright yellow patches on the landscape and from the smell.
Gypsum deposits were also visible but apparently this was never mined.
A dinghy took us from our boat, Pee Jay IV to the landing stage where we clambered up ladders and picked our way over the boulder-strewn shore.
We had been issued with gas masks, which I used on quite a few occasions, as well as the hard hats which we‘d been told to put on before we left the boat.
There was much steam issuing from vents in the crust in large quantities and also from countless smaller fumaroles.
The crater lake was greenish in colour and looked rather mysterious as the steam wafted upwards from the surface.
The organisation was top drawer, with all of our guides being thoroughly knowledgeable and helpful. A magical day!
Jean
