# data[].attributes.headline
Whakaari / White Island eruption: Tourists are aware of risks in NZ, but not deterred

# data[].attributes.subject
Whakaari / White Island eruption: Tourists are aware of risks in NZ, but not deterred

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Whakaari / White Island eruption: Tourists are aware of risks in NZ, but not deterred

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the wake of the Whaakari / White Island eruption, tourists say they’ve become more aware of the risks of travelling in New Zealand, but it isn’t a deterrent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
From RNZ

A professor of tourism says he's been told the tour operators on Whakaari / White Island are some of the most professional out of companies operating around volcanoes.

Michael Leuck, professor of tourism at Auckland University of Technology, said: "... tour operators certainly have very, very good guidelines and from everything I can hear, especially White Island Tours because they are so experienced, they have pretty good safety checks and they check every day with GeoNet before they go out about the conditions and do a proper briefing as well.
READ MORE:
* White Island eruption: The dead, the missing and the injured
* White Island eruption: Emergency doctor describes 'war zone' horror at hospital
* White Island eruption: Another victim named as seven Aussies among nine missing
* Whakaari/White Island eruption: Inside a burns unit in the days after a disaster
"For example, I have a PhD student who did his master's thesis on volcano tourism and he did White Island and he also went on the Tongariro Crossing and many others in the Philippines and so on. And he said by far the White Island Tour was the most professional one and the most stringent in terms of safety checks. So, they certainly seem to be doing a good job there."

But he said, from now on, we needed to be much clearer with tourists about the potential risks they faced.

"Then if something happens, they have to deal with consequences. If they decide 'Yes, I'm going to take that risk', then don't complain afterwards.

"If you don't know the risk, then I would put the blame on the operators because they're not disclosing that. And I would say probably some operators don't disclose the risk, because it might potentially put people off ... But generally, yeah, we need to tell people what kind of risk they [are] potentially taking."

He said any adventure tour customers in New Zealand are asked to sign a waiver, but waivers weren't a "free brief" for tourism operators to do whatever they wanted.

He said New Zealand had it's fair share of adventure tourism accidents.

"I suppose, you know, we will see now volcano tourism being assessed."

But he said "we can't regulate everything".
Related articles
"We need to be vigilant. We need to be sure that we do the best we can, but we can't regulate everything ...

"We have to live with the fact that every time you go into an environment like that, as a tourist, you you take a certain risk. It's a live volcano, you know, that might erupt at any time.

"Sometimes volcanologists can tell you days, at least hours in advance, sometimes they can't."

He said worldwide, there were a lot of active volcanoes regularly visited by tourists. Some had strict regulations - like Hawaii - but other places - Indonesia and the Philippines - rules are far less strict.

"People do climb up the active volcanoes and close to the crater so there's much more potential risks [than elsewhere]."

Some tourists aware

Earlier, tourists told RNZ they'd become more aware of the risks of travelling in New Zealand, but it wasn't a deterrent.

Dutch tourists Tessa Biesheuvel and Sjoerd Bakker said they came to New Zealand thinking it didn't pose any risks.

"When we went to New Zealand, that it was like all perfect and no nature disasters, but then it turned out it can happen," Bakker said.

Biesheuvel said they learnt to expect the unexpected while travelling.

Adrift Tongariro Guiding director Stewart Barclay said it was the tourism industry's job to make sure visitors are well aware of the risks involved in adventure activities - and to balance the risk and the reward.

He said there would always incidents that couldn't be eliminated.

Discussions would be had at all levels of adventure tourism following the Whakaari / White Island tragedy, he said.

But first, the priority was to help and support the people involved.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prof says tourists need to be warned about NZ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From RNZ A professor of tourism says he's been told the tour operators on Whakaari / White Island are some of the most professional out of companies...

# data[].attributes.headline
White Island - Whakaari (Guide to a Active Volcano)

# data[].attributes.subject
White Island - Whakaari (Guide to a Active Volcano)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
White Island - Whakaari【Guide to a Active Volcano】

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
White Island, also known as Whakaari, is New Zealand’s most accessible active volcano. Discover about its history, activities and the 2019 eruption.

# data[].attributes.headline
Tourism and the Volcanic Experience: White Island

# data[].attributes.subject
Tourism and the Volcanic Experience: White Island

# data[].attributes.body
This article discusses the dual nature of White Island as a tourist attraction and a natural hazard, emphasizing the importance of informed tourism and safety measures.

# data[].attributes.headline
Tourists should not be on White Island - Video

# data[].attributes.subject
Tourists should not be on White Island - Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tourists should not have been on White Island - geoscientist

# data[].attributes.headline
Why were tourists allowed on White Island at all?

# data[].attributes.subject
Why were tourists allowed on White Island at all?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The fatal eruption on Whakaari on Monday may force the tourism industry to review its current rules, writes tourism professor Michael Lueck.
The official death toll is six and eight people are still missing, presumed to have died, in Monday's volcanic eruption at Whakaari/White Island. The people on the island were tourists and tour guides, including visitors from Australia, the UK, China and Malaysia, along with New Zealanders. Several of the tourists were passengers from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.

GeoNet, which operates a geological hazard monitoring system, says there is a 50% chance of a smaller or similar eruption taking place within the next 24 hours. The volcanic alert level remains at three, one rung higher than it was when the eruption took place.

But the question being asked now is this - why were tourists allowed on such a dangerous island? This will probably feature prominently in investigations both by police and WorkSafe.

Safety guidelines for volcano tours

White Island is privately owned, and only permitted operators are allowed to take tourists on guided tours. White Island Tours is one of the main operators in Whakatāne, a township on the east coast of the North Island, and they had people on the island on Monday. This operator has stringent safety checks and was even named New Zealand's safest place to work in a workplace safety award last year.

But earlier this month, GeoNet had raised the alert level to two (out of five), due to " moderate and heightened volcanic unrest ". Should that have caused enough concern to discontinue tours to the island? Hindsight is always 20/20, but any visit to an active volcano or volcanic field bears a certain amount of risk, and usually it is managed by governmental bodies generally, and the tourism industry in particular.

The management, or lack thereof, varies by country and jurisdiction. Commonly, organisations such as GeoNet provide real-time updates on volcanic activities and issue warnings of potential hazards. In the case of Whakaari/White Island, it falls ultimately to the operators to decide whether or not to send tours to the island on any given day.

Leading geo-tourism researcher Patricia Erfurt-Cooper notes there is a "distinct lack of safety guidelines for volcano tours at most sites, which is compounded by language problems". Management strategies include multilingual signage, such as in Japan, and the closure of active sites, such as in Hawai'i.

Often, volcanic geologists are able to read early signs of activity, and predict eruptions hours, if not days, in advance. But this is not always the case, as we saw yesterday and in the 2007 eruption of Mount Ruapehu.

History of accidents in adventure tourism

Volcano tourism is a subset of adventure tourism, and New Zealand has had its fair share of incidents in this sector. Many will remember the collapse of a viewing platform at Cave Creek in 1995, when 14 people died. After the collapse, the Department of Conservation ( DOC) inspected more than 500 structures, resulting in the closure of 65.

A commission of inquiry found a number of shortcomings in the building of the platform and DOC took responsibility for the accident. Since then, New Zealand law has changed so government departments can be held responsible and liable for negligence in offences under the Building Act.

Worldwide, there have been several deadly volcanic eruptions, including Japan's Mount Ontake in 2014. This steam-driven eruption occurred without clear warning and killed 63 people hiking on the mountain, in what became the country's most deadly eruption in nearly 90 years.

In 2013, the eruption of Mayon volcano in the Philippines killed five climbers. Last year, one tourist died in an eruption of Italy's Stromboli volcano, which has become a resort island.

Assessing risks

New Zealand promotes itself as the adventure capital of the world, and it is a fine balance for an operator to provide the (often advertised) excitement the thrill-seeking tourists are looking for and the safety of everybody involved. Research shows the majority of thrill-seekers are looking for risk, but in a controlled way. The adrenaline rush is paramount, but they don't seriously want to be at risk of injury or loss of life.

The tragic events of Whakaari/White Island reiterate that we must be vigilant and have excellent risk management strategies in place. Perhaps it is time for the tourism industry, government and volcanic experts to review current rules. We can minimise the risk, but we can never totally rule it out.

Any adventure tourist must be aware of the potential risk they are taking and should check the tour operator's website for information about the risk they'd be undertaking, and how the tour operator plans to manage it. If the operator doesn't have this information available - choose another one.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why were tourists allowed on Whakaari/White Island at all?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The fatal eruption on Whakaari on Monday may force the tourism industry to review its current rules, writes tourism professor Michael Lueck.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The New Zealand island volcano that erupted two days ago vented more steam and mud on Wednesday, an increase of geothermal activity that continued to delay the recovery of victims' bodies.

With a police investigation underway after the White Island eruption that killed at least six people, with eight others presumed dead, the GeoNet seismic monitoring agency reported volcanic tremors in the morning hours.

"We interpret these signals as evidence of continued high gas pressures within the volcano," the agency said. "The situation remains highly uncertain as to future activity. Eruptions in the next 24 hours are still likely to occur."
What is a cone volcano? The science behind the deadly New Zealand eruption
Those killed, missing or injured came from around the globe to visit the island when tragedy struck Monday afternoon as steam and ash blanketed the popular tourist destination. The first confirmed death was of a local man, Hayden Marshall-Inman, a guide who had shown tourists around the island.

Bruce Bird, an acting assistant police commissioner, said officials were monitoring the situation hour by hour before proceeding with recovery efforts.

"Safety for our staff is a huge priority for us," Bird said. "And we've got to get this right."

Helicopter pilot Mark Law, however, questioned the delay.

"It would take 20 minutes to get out there. We know where they are," he said, referring to the bodies. "Then we could bring them home."

Here's what we know Tuesday:

Who was on White Island and how many people were killed?

Authorities have confirmed that 47 people were on the island when the volcano exploded just after 2 p.m. Monday.

Nine Americans, 24 people from Australia, two from China, four from Germany, one person from Malaysia, five people from New Zealand and two from the United Kingdom were on White Island, police say.

Some of those on the island were aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.

Five people were confirmed dead as crews rescued people from the island. A sixth person died in the hospital Tuesday. Eight people are missing and presumed dead. Crews flying above the island have seen "no signs of life," police said. About 30 remained hospitalized Tuesday.

Among the injured was Virginia couple Lauren and Matt Urey of Richmond on their honeymoon. The Ureys were part of the Royal Caribbean cruise.

Why were tourists on the island?

That's the question police will be investigating after increases in seismic activity had been recorded on White Island for weeks.

"These questions must be asked and they must be answered," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in Parliament.

GeoNet, which tracks New Zealand's seismic and volcanic activity, raised its alert level on the island in November after increasing sulfur dioxide gas. Volcanic tremor also increased, and the agency wrote at the time that the island "may be entering a period where eruptive activity is more likely than normal."
More on White Island eruption: Royal Caribbean cruise nearby, other travel effects
Loÿc Vanderkluysen, a volcanologist at Drexel University, said he was surprised that tourists were on the island given the volcanic activity.

"Scientists seem to have been well aware that White Island was entering a phase of heightened activity," he said.

"Whakaari," as it is known in the Maori language, is New Zealand's most active cone volcano, built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years, GeoNet said.

"About 70% of the volcano is under the sea, making this massive volcanic structure the largest in New Zealand," according to GeoNet.

Deputy Police Commissioner John Tims said Tuesday that police were opening a criminal investigation into the deaths that would accompany an investigation by health and safety regulators.

But hours later, police later said it was too early to confirm a criminal investigation and they were investigating the deaths on behalf of the coroner. Workplace health and safety officials in New Zealand have also confirmed they are investigating.

Is there still a risk the volcano could erupt again?

GeoNet's volcanologists said there was an "equal likelihood" of either no eruption or another smaller or similar sized eruption in the next day.

"There is a high level of uncertainty associated with this estimate and we are working to reduce that uncertainty. We also estimate the least likely scenario is a larger eruption," GeoNet volcanologist Geoff Kilgour said.

GeoNet had briefly raised the volcanic alert level to four, on a five point scale, on Monday, but lowered it to three, where it remains Tuesday.

What was it like on White Island during the eruption?

Survivors and rescuers described a chaotic scene. Those on the island ran into the water to protect them from ash and steam.

Many onlookers from boats just off the island captured horrific images of smoke billowing from the land.

"I could just see this plume of white and grey rising quite high and quite quickly," Geoff Hopkins, 50, told the New Zealand Herald. Hopkins was on a boat when he saw people rushing into the water. The crew turned toward them to provide first aid.

"They were just so massively burnt," he told the newspaper.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; The Associated Press. Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller
Russell Clark, an intensive care paramedic worker, said the island blanketed in ask looked like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

"I can only imagine what it was like for the people there at the time - they had nowhere to go," Clark told New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
As New Zealand island volcano vents again, GeoNet warns: 'Eruptions in the next 24 hours are still likely'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New Zealand police said they are investigating after a volcano erupted on White Island, killing at least six, with more presumed dead and injured.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it erupted on 9 December 2019, almost half of the 47 people present on White Island were killed, including 17 from Australia, three from the US, and two from New Zealand. Another 25 people were injured, many suffering extensive burns.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
White Island: Company found guilty over NZ volcano disaster

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The judge criticised what he referred to as 'astonishing failures' of Whakaari Management.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A family weekend in Whakatane offers quiet relaxation and excitement. STEVE HART* visits White Island and steps on a living volcano.

From the air or sea, seeing White Island is a breathtaking experience. Approaching it from the sea, off the coast of Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty, one can't help but think it looks like Tracy Island from Thunderbirds. It's only when the land comes clearly into view that the lack of vegetation reveals this inhospitable place is suitable for neither man nor beast.

One can only imagine the lives of the people who lived, and died, there, mining sulphur in the early part of the last century. You can hear the story of these brave men, who earned two shillings a day for their trouble, from guides aboard PeeJay 4, owned and operated by White Island Tours. The company, one of a few firms that ferries people to the island, has been taking tourists there for about 11 years.

When I joined a group of about 30 people to see this active volcano I was surprised at how remote and barren it is. Its surface is how I imagine the Moon or Mars to look - dry and dusty, with rocks scattered across the land, spewed out during the volcano's more violent moments.

There's the real feeling that you are alone on this alien landscape. On White Island, I thought, no one can hear you scream.

The journey started at 9 am from Whakatane Wharf. Because of looming bad weather, it was touch and go if the excursion would take place at all, but the skipper made the decision to go ahead and we set off out to sea.

On the way out we passed a bronze statue erected in 1965 in memory of former Whakatane mayor William Sullivan's wife. But it also celebrates the Maori legend of Wairaka. Wairaka, by all accounts, was a remarkable woman, who helped save the passengers of a drifting canoe.

The story dates back to when the canoe Mataatua landed - ending its journey from Hawaiiki about 650 years ago. The men, so excited to explore Kakahoroa (as it was then called), apparently didn't tie their canoe up very well. The Mataatua became free while out of sight of the men, and started drifting out with the tide.

It was taboo for women to use paddles (it being man's work), but Wairaka, the captain's daughter, thought something should be done as the canoe drifted out to the open sea.

She said, "E kia whakatane ake au i ahua [let me act the part of a man]," then paddled the vessel to safety, saving everyone on board.

Her words were remembered, and the name Whakatane (do the work of a man) was given to the region and its river.

With such a wonderful story attached to such an eye-catching statue, now turned green by the elements, one can't help wondering why Whakatane Tourism doesn't make more of it when promoting the area.

As we motored out to sea I started to understand why the skipper was dithering over cancelling the day's tour - the sea was a bit a choppy, but nothing to worry about.

We passed Whale Island, so named by Captain Cook (when he was a lieutenant) because from certain angles it looks like a giant humpback whale. This volcanic island is also known as Moutohora and is 10km from Whakatane.

It could have been another Goat Island, because of the introduced goats who, with a large population of rats, almost destroyed its vegetation. But thanks to work started in 1984, Whale Island has returned to its former glory and is now protected.

As we continued our 80-minute (49km) voyage there was plenty of time to soak up the fresh sea air and enjoy the distant view and the gannets diving for food in our wake.

We were told there was an 80 per cent chance of seeing dolphins or whales during the journey and the boat would stop for us to have a look if we spotted them.

Unfortunately, our trip was one of the unlucky ones. Never mind, with the spray in my face and the roar of the engines powering us forward, I was happy just to watch White Island turn from a cloudy spec on the horizon to looming so close I could smell the sulphur.

We reached White Island, or Whakaari, to see plumes of white steam bellowing from its craters.

The island is part of the Taupo volcanic zone, which contains all of New Zealand's active volcanoes and stretches across to Rotorua.

I watched as the steam rose up from the island and became inseparable from the low-lying cloud - obscuring the height of the island's crater wall. It was clear it was having an active day, as there was far more steam than I remembered seeing in photographs of the island.

Hot soup and bread was served on board the 60ft launch as we prepared to transfer to the island, aboard a motorised inflatable, in groups of 10.

Stepping off the inflatable involved clambering on to a concrete ramp, walking across a short metal bridge, and then stepping on boulders and rocks surrounded by sea water to get to the shore. Staff warned everyone to leave their bags behind on the boat and to keep both arms free. Having done it, I can see why.

Visitors' health and safety cannot be guaranteed on the island - tour operators do their best to make sure everyone is safe, but this is, after all, an active volcano. There are no jetties with handrails, roads, pathways, toilets (except on the boat), seats or rest areas. This is a barren, harsh island with an atmosphere that corrodes metal and can - with its highly sulphuric content - turn teeth black (if exposed to it for long periods).

Once we'd donned our safety helmets and gas masks, which did a good job of filtering out the smell, our guide, Jo, began the tour of the island.

First we took a look at the buildings where, last century, sulphur was refined before being shipped. All around us was the evidence of the mining that stopped in 1930: decaying buildings and machinery was strewn over a large patch.

With the rocky ground, everyone had to watch their step as we followed our guide, hanging on to her every word. Behind us the second guide, Ben, made sure no stragglers got lost.

Along the way we saw a blowhole - it hissed with tremendous pressure, the steam escaping with the power of a jet engine. Further on the rocks contained beautiful colours, caused by the chemical reaction with sulphur.

Then we came to the main crater, where steam bellowed out. We were told the story of Donald Pye - a miner who disappeared one night in 1914 leaving only his boots by the side of a crater. Was he murdered, did he jump or did he leave in a waiting boat? No one knows, but it's thought he committed suicide (after removing his boots).

In 1914 a landslide cost the lives of almost everyone on the island. It's thought 10 men died, as did four of their five pet cats. The only survivor, the other cat, was rescued and named Peter the Great.

Our guide pointed out the gannet sanctuary and what's left of a recovering forest - fighting to re-establish itself after being covered in sulphur ash from a minor volcanic outburst some time back.

The expedition was a real eye-opener. Then, after a bite to eat back on board our boat, it was time for a quick trip around the island and back to the mainland.

As the island disappeared into the distance I wondered if the mystery of Donald Pye would ever be solved. But I think it's one of those stories the island will keep to itself.

White Island, I thought, is like a wild tiger. It's beautiful but should never be tamed.

Whakatane

White Island

Bay of Plenty Tourism

* Steve Hart was a guest of Whakatane Tourism.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Steamy White Island weekend - Travel News - NZ Herald

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A family weekend in Whakatane offers quiet relaxation and excitement. STEVE HART* visits White Island and steps on a living volcano. From the air or sea,...

# data[].attributes.headline
White Island's Tourism: Balancing Beauty and Risks

# data[].attributes.subject
White Island's Tourism: Balancing Beauty and Risks

# data[].attributes.body
A comprehensive analysis of the impact of tourism on White Island, exploring both the positives and negatives, including the environmental effects.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
New Zealand’s most active volcano is a magnet to scientists and sightseers, but behind its primeval beauty lies a violent history—both human and geological.