White Island is New Zealand's most active Volcano and I decided to book a trip out to the island. I got the boat at Whakatane and we sailed for about one and a half hours out to White Island.
I have to say I was slightly nervous about the prospect of stepping onto an active volcano. Especially as the nearer we got to the island you could clearly see the steam coming out of the big crater.
And as we pulled up alongside the island there was steam eminating from all over the rocky ground.It looked like a set from a Doctor Who film!!
On the main boat they then issued us with Gas masks and hard helmets. I started to wonder why I had decided to take this trip. And as they transfered us in small groups in a dinghy from the main boat my legs really were shaking.
It took me a while to compose myself when we reached the Volcano.
But it was so fascinating that I was awestruck by the fragile beauty of it all.
Stepping foot onto an active crater amid the hot thermal streams and bubbling mud pots was mind blowing enough. But then seeing the glittering yellow sulphur crystals all over the place was fabulous.
I had to put the gas mask on several times because the sulphur fumes were so overpowering.
We were shown the ruins of various sulphur factories that had been established on the volcano through the years.And where several miners were killed in the early 1900's by a landslide!
When we eventually left the island we sailed around it just taking in the beauty of the active landscape.
And we spotted this seal asleep on the warm rocks.It did not seem to be phased by the prospect of its bed erupting !
I have to say I was slightly nervous about the prospect of stepping onto an active volcano. Especially as the nearer we got to the island you could clearly see the steam coming out of the big crater.
And as we pulled up alongside the island there was steam eminating from all over the rocky ground.It looked like a set from a Doctor Who film!!
On the main boat they then issued us with Gas masks and hard helmets. I started to wonder why I had decided to take this trip. And as they transfered us in small groups in a dinghy from the main boat my legs really were shaking.
It took me a while to compose myself when we reached the Volcano.
But it was so fascinating that I was awestruck by the fragile beauty of it all.
Stepping foot onto an active crater amid the hot thermal streams and bubbling mud pots was mind blowing enough. But then seeing the glittering yellow sulphur crystals all over the place was fabulous.
I had to put the gas mask on several times because the sulphur fumes were so overpowering.
We were shown the ruins of various sulphur factories that had been established on the volcano through the years.And where several miners were killed in the early 1900's by a landslide!
When we eventually left the island we sailed around it just taking in the beauty of the active landscape.
And we spotted this seal asleep on the warm rocks.It did not seem to be phased by the prospect of its bed erupting !
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