Volcanic White Island
From a distance White Island first appears as a thick plume of smoke rising from the Pacific Ocean.
Up close the island off the Bay of Plenty coast looks like the cratered surface of the moon. The hissing and roaring, amidst an eerie mist rising from the crater lake are features of New Zealand’s only active marine volcano.
Even though the volcano continues to puff out dense volcanic gas and steam, visitors come by boat and helicopter to explore the unique environment.
Jenny and Peter Tait, who have been running boat tours to White Island for 11 years, help volcanologists observe the island’s activity. The active vent on White Island, which formed in August 1998, is called PeeJay - named after the couple’s charter company.
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