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Whakaari/White Island

Whakaari/White Island is an active marine volcano that has attracted visitors from around the world for decades. To Māori and local Iwi (tribe) Ngāti Awa, Whakaari is a treasured ancestor and features in many stories and legends of the region. Glimpses from the shore and in the air offer breath-taking views of this geothermal wonder.

Estimated to be between 150,000 and 200,000 years old, the volcano is located 49 kilometres offshore from Whakatāne. It is two kilometres in diameter and its peak rises 321m above sea level.

The tragic eruption event that occurred at Whakaari / White Island on Monday, 9 December 2019 significantly impacted many people, both in Aotearoa and internationally. We acknowledge the families and loved ones of those who passed away, and send strength to the injured and their families during their recovery. As a result of the eruption event, there are currently no on-land tours of the island in operation. 

You can still experience the unforgettable sights of Whakaari/White Islands, including scenic flights, on-land (not the island) lookout points and in the Whakaari/White Island Experience Room at the isite Visitor Information Centre.

White Island Flights

For a truly unforgettable experience, join the White Island Flights team for one of their great value White Island scenic flights.

Whakaari Experience Room

The Whakaari/White Island Experience room provides a stunning up-close and informative experience of this geothermal wonder.

Remarkable visibility, underwater steam vents and an abundance of marine life make the waters around the island one of New Zealand’s best dive sites. It’s also a fishing haven, with charter boats offering multi-day game fishing adventures.

Lookout points

There are several lookout points in the Eastern Bay of Plenty that provide views across the ocean to Whakaari/White Island. On a clear day you can see steam clouds puffing from the crater at The Whakatāne Heads, Kōhī Point or any spot along the coastline.

If you have any questions about your visit to the Whakatāne District, please contact our isite Visitor Information Centre team .

Want to know more about Whakaari / White Island, visit the GeoNet website's frequently asked questions page .

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How to see volcanic whakaari/white island in new zealand.

W hakaari, or White Island, is a volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty off the east coast of New Zealand’s beach-covered North Island . It’s the most active volcano in New Zealand and one of the most studied volcanoes in the world. Whakaari has been active for at least 150,000 years, with frequent eruptions throughout its history. Whakaari has had several deadly eruptions over the past 200 years, including an eruption in December 2019 that killed 22 people.

If you’ve watched the recently released Netflix documentary The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari , you know that it’s not  a place to underestimate.

Because of this, Whakaari/White Island is currently closed to tourists , but you can still do scenic flights over the island. So here’s what to know about scenic flights over Whakaari/White island, plus what to know when or if it opens for hiking tours once again.

Where is Whakaari?

Whakaari/White Island tours

Tauranga, New Zealand. Photo: Tauranga /Shutterstock

Whakaari/White Island tours typically leave from Whakatane (a four-hour drive from Auckland) or Tauranga (about three hours from Auckland). Whakatane is the closest mainland town to Whakaari and is the most popular departure point for organized tours.

When exploring the island on foot is allowed, you can book trips from several area tour companies, some of which offered the opportunity to camp on the island (and may again whenever it reopens).

When the island is closed to foot traffic, seeing the island from air is the only option. But that’s no problem, since seeing it from air may give you the best perspective of the uniquer island (and save you from smelling some seriously strong sulfur). White Island Flights offers scenic flights over Whakaari, offering stunning views of the iconic landscape from up high. Hour-long tours start at $249 NZD, or about $159 US.

What will you see at Whakaari?

Photo: Jeff C. Photostock /Shutterstock

Whakaari/White Island offers some truly unique experiences for its visitors. Aside from the active volcano itself, there is a variety of geographical features including hot springs, fumaroles, craters and steam vents where one can observe the active processes of Whakaari. Fortunately, it’s easy to see all of these from the air.

Whakaari also has its own unique fauna and flora, with several species that are endemic to the island. The extreme environment has led to some unique evolutionary adaptations, and species you’ll see there include the Whakaari skink, Whakaari gecko, and Whakaari cicada.

Is Whakaari safe?

Whakaari/White Island is an active volcano, and as such visitors must take extra safety precautions. All trips to Whakaari should be organized through reputable companies that have experience dealing with volcanic activity and know the risks associated with it. It is also important to check in advance if there have been any recent eruptions or seismic activity. When the island is closed to foot traffic, never try to charter your own boat. Planes and helicopters can make quick getaways if they notice any unpredictable seismic activity; hikers can’t. Be smart.

Whakaari eruptions

Photo: Jet 67 /Shutterstock

Whakaari has had several explosive eruptions over its long history, producing pyroclastic flows and ash plumes that have the potential to disrupt air travel in the region. Whakaari is monitored 24/7 by GeoNet, a government agency tasked with monitoring volcanic activity in New Zealand. The most recent major eruption occurred on December 9th 2019, and Whakaari has also had several smaller eruptions since then, including one as recently as March 2021. Scientists continue to monitor Whakaari’s activity and will close foot traffic to the island during periods of extended activity (which is the case as of December 2022).

When will Whakaari/White Island reopen?

Photo: Photo Image /Shutterstock

Whakaari remains closed to visitors as of January 2023. The question of when it will reopen is a difficult one and is still uncertain. Whakaari needs to be assessed for the short-term impact of the eruption and potential long-term effects on its geology and environment before any informed decision can be made.

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Whakaari/White Island

White Island, Bay of Plenty

By GrahamIX

Whakaari / White Island is one of New Zealand’s most active volcanos, situated 48km off the coast of Whakatane in the North Island.

In December of 2019 a volcanic eruption occurred at Whakaari / White Island .  

To ensure the safety of locals and visitors there are currently no boat tours to, or helicopter flights that land on the island.

While visitors cannot set foot on the Whakaari / White Island, scenic flights are still available.

If you wish to know more about Whakaari / White Island, visit the GeoNet website's frequently asked questions page. (opens in new window)

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White Island eruption: The business of tours, with 17,500 visitors annually

Anne Gibson

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Around 17,500 people last year visited Whakaari/White Island, according to White Island Tours' chairman Paul Quinn.

The business had grown over a number of years "and last year had about 17,500 visitors," he told TVNZ.

"We take our responsibilities very seriously. We take our health and safety responsibilities very seriously and this is a big tragedy for us," Quinn said, announcing plans for a meeting at the wharenui shortly.

READ MORE: • White Island erupts: Why were tourists allowed on unsettled island? • White Island volcano erupts in Bay of Plenty: 5 dead, 8 missing, 31 in hospital • White Island eruption: Families and children among more than 20 missing Australians • White Island erupts: Dramatic moment Whakaari/White Island volcano erupts

White Island Tours was bought by Ngāti Awa Group Holdings in 2017.

Tours were routinely running despite the safety level being assessed as level two, Quinn said this morning.

Asked if he had experienced sudden and unexpected volcanic activity previously, he said: "Actually I have - 1995 with Ruapehu. That was a level two that day and the ski field was open. I was there at the time and it erupted unexpectedly and fortunately, there were no fatalities."

A hui is about to be held with staff and the wider whānau of relatives, Quinn said.

"Our priority is support for the staff and whānau who are unaccounted for."

Quinn also cited two staff members he knew and who were unaccounted for.

"This is a great loss for Ngāti Awa. We need to regroup," he said.

The Whakatāne-headquartered business was reporting heightened levels of volcanic activity yesterday. Its website is now suspended saying "we are currently experiencing an emergency" and referring people to contact the business directly.

But it has been promoting special school holiday rates and said "All I want for Christmas is a voucher to visit Whak-a-a-ri.... and a pod of dolphins (or three)."

The business warned those booking of dangers.

"Volcanic alert level: Whakaari/White Island is currently on alert level 2," it said, indicating "moderate to heightened volcanic unrest, there is the potential for eruption hazards to occur.

The tour business said it operated through the varying alert levels but passengers should be aware that there is always a risk of eruptive activity regardless of the alert level. White Island Tours follows a comprehensive safety plan which determines our activities on the island at various levels.

Tours cost $229/adult and $130/children under 15 up until next March.

That package included the 60- to 80-minute boat trip on a catamaran, one-hour fully-guided walking tour of the inner crater complex, a light packed snack box, safety gear including a gas mask and hard hat, the permit to land on the island and Department of Conservation permit "to spend time with any marine mammals that we encounter", the company said.

Tourists were told of the chance to see dolphins, flying fish, seabirds and seals which it said were commonly sighted.

The business sold gift vouchers was a Qualmark gold endorsed activity, offering early-morning pickups from Rotorua or Tauranga.

The tours could operate 364 days of the year - every day except Christmas Day, the company said. But not in rough weather.

"The tour is very weather dependent and also numbers dependent. We will confirm with you before 8pm the night prior whether the tour is able to operate," it said.

Due to tides, sea conditions and operational requirements, tour departure times varied. Morning tours generally left between 8am and 10am and, where offered, afternoon tours usually depart between 1pm and 2pm.

Tourists were encouraged to wear fully-enclosed shoes with a good grip. That was a compulsory requirement. They were asked to bring a warm waterproof jacket.

The business has issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened following the significant eruption at Whakaari / White Island this afternoon.

Quinn's written statement on the tour's Facebook page said: "Devastation is an understatement. This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted."

The business was now assisting Police and Civil Defence with the official emergency response.

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Whakaari White Island is owned by one NZ family. Today three brothers face charges over the volcano's deadly 2019 eruption

In 1936 Whakaari White Island was an unusual acquisition for Auckland stockbroker George Buttle, who would eventually pass the private island onto his son and then his grandsons.

Buttle decided not to develop the island. It had erupted before and attempts to mine sulphur or extract salt had all failed.  

Eventually James, Peter and Andrew Buttle would come to inherit the volcano, but today they will face court over its deadly 2019 eruption.

Tourists were in the crater and watching on from a nearby cruise ship when the volcano moved beyond its level 2 warning and into a full-scale eruption.

Forty-seven people were on the island at the time. Twenty-two people died, including 17 Australians.

It has been a very long wait for closure for the families of those who died and for the people who were on the volcano that day, survived its eruption and now live with the scars.

Criminal charges were brought by Worksafe NZ, which alleged the three Buttle brothers, as well as 10 other parties, breached workplace safety laws. 

Worksafe NZ alleges Andrew, James and Peter Buttle and Whakaari Management Limited (WML), the company they are directors of, "failed to obtain expert advice on how WML could ensure that guided tours of Whakaari were conducted safely". 

In total, Worksafe NZ sought to prosecute 13 parties, including research institute and volcano monitor GNS Science, the New Zealand Emergency Management Agency and a number of tourism operators. 

The charges were laid at the end of 2020 and initially every defendant entered a plea of not guilty, but since then several have changed their plea and one had the charges dismissed. 

On Friday afternoon, in the final hearing before the trial was set to begin, three more defendants entered guilty pleas.

The Buttle brothers and their company WML are proceeding to trial, as are the defendants ID Tours New Zealand and Tauranga Tourism Services. 

The role of the supply chain between tour operator and customer will be another major part of this case.

Because ID Tours New Zealand worked as a booking agent, helping cruise ship passengers to visit Whakaari, and Tauranga Tourism Services was the local agent for tour company White Island Tours. 

"The evidence provided by WorkSafe is that it has become common in the tourism industry to have single entities operating as part of a single chain from point of sale to delivery of adventure activities," Judge Evangelos Thomas wrote in an earlier finding. 

"Although that is likely due to practical operational reasons, it runs counter to the Act's purpose that a consequence would be less protection."

ID Tours New Zealand, the Buttles and their company WML all sought to have charges against them dropped, but their applications were denied. 

After more than two years of legal process, the trial finally gets underway this morning. 

For some of the Australian families watching proceedings, this moment marks the start of their best opportunity for closure. 

'There was only the two of us'

Meredith Dallow last saw her brother Gavin as they were leaving a hospital in Adelaide where their mother was receiving cancer treatment. 

It was towards the end of 2019 and Gavin, his partner and stepdaughter were heading off on a holiday aboard the Ovation of the Seas cruise. 

"We walked Gavin to the car and said, 'We'll see you next year,'" Meredith said. 

"And he got in the car and off he drove." 

On the night of December 9, Meredith saw a story on the news about cruise ship passengers that had been on Whakaari as it erupted and saw the images of the thick steam, ash and debris over the island. 

She found her brother's holiday itinerary and started to call his phone. 

"When we weren't getting any answers … I rang Caribbean cruise line … and we were told that yes, their names were on the list of passengers that had been on the island, that had participated on the island tour that day. So then we knew," Meredith said.

Gavin and his 15-year-old stepdaughter Zoe Hosking were killed.

Lisa Dallow — wife of Gavin and mother of Zoe — was placed in an induced coma with severe burns, and only  learned of her loved ones' deaths weeks after the eruption .

Meredith and Gavin made all the decisions about their ageing parents' care together.

"Whenever we needed him, he was at the end of the phone and would always come and help me," she said. 

"Now that he's not here, I've sort of got really nobody. No support person. No immediate family as such. There was only the two of us."

Guilty pleas and dismissed charges 

There is an ongoing coronial inquiry into the deaths in the Whakaari disaster, and after that families will receive final death certificates for the loved ones who died. 

The Worksafe NZ matter will need to be resolved first, so the start of the trial is an important sign of progress for people like Meredith.

The coronial process is likely to give her more information about what happened to her brother that day, but the Worksafe NZ trial will be an opportunity to learn about the factors that led up to it and the series of events that placed a group of tourists on an active volcano. 

"Our main thing is that the owners of the island were charged, and that they're held accountable and the tour company," Meredith said. 

"They're the main ones that we are looking for answers from. 

"No-one should have been there that day. No-one should have been on the island full stop."

Judge Thomas said the Buttles' application to have charges against them dismissed was "almost successful". 

The charges were then amended to focus on the allegation that the Buttles did not obtain expert advice on the risk to the workers and tourists on the island.  

White Island Tours pleaded guilty last week, with WorkSafe chief executive Phil Parkes saying that decision was highly significant.

"We hope the decision of White Island Tours will provide some assurance to the survivors and family and whānau of those who passed that those who had a duty to ensure their safety and failed to do so are being held to account," he said.   

Yesterday, a mihi whakatau, a Māori welcome ceremony, was held in the courtroom ahead of the trial beginning this morning.  

Given the immense public interest in this case, Australian families and other interested parties are able to watch proceedings via a private live stream. 

A public viewing has also been set up in Whakatane, the town closest to Whakaari and home to many of the first responders.

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• Questions raised over tour groups operating on Whakaari / White Island

Questions remain over who had the power to stop tour companies visiting Whakaari / White Island after the volcanic alert level was raised in recent weeks.

Bay of Plenty locals pay their respects. Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen

The Whakatāne District Council is responsible for managing the island and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has overall authority but she said now is not the time for such talks.

On Monday afternoon the island erupted killing six people, injuring 31 and leaving another eight unaccounted for.

Whakaari is privately owned by the Buttle family and while Ms Mahuta technically has responsibility for it, the day-to-day management falls to the Whakatāne District Council.

Ms Mahuta said the focus now was on the recovery mission and questions about whether tour operators should have been there were for later.

Read more on the Whakaari/White Island eruption:

• Follow RNZ's live blog for the latest
• Whakaari / White Island eruption: 'missing' Adelaide mother alive with burns in hospital - family White Island eruption

On 18 November the alert level was lifted to 2 on the 0-5 scale, indicating moderate volcanic unrest.

The alert was briefly raised to 4 during Monday's eruption and is now at level 3, classed as "minor volcanic eruption".

Paul Quinn, chair of Ngāti Awa Holdings, which owns White Island Tours, said the heightened alert levels on the volcano over the last few weeks didn't meet its threshold for stopping operations.

Mr Quinn said two of his staff were unaccounted for.

"There was one boat left over there that had 38 clients and there were four staff accompanying them on the tour at the time of the eruption.

"Two of our staff are unaccounted for."

He said White Island Tours had previously taken visitors to Whakaari / White Island when the volcano had been at a level 2.

He said that alert level was within its operating guidelines.

Paul Quinn, chair of Ngāti Awa Holdings. Photo: NZ Parliament

"GNS do the monitoring, and they advise us if there are any changes, and we operate around their guidelines in terms of what levels are stipulated.

"Level 3 and above we liaise more directly with GNS but that level 2 is still within our operational guidelines."

Ceasing tours had not been discussed, and everyone was comfortable to continue operating, he said.

Mr Quinn would not say whether changes need to be made.

"It's too early to worry about those things."

Civil Defence director Sarah Stuart-Black said decisions about activities on the island were complicated but the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence group was responsible for its emergency management.

The Whakaari Trust, which owns the island, is managed by Whakaari Management Limited which comprises three directors - who are also brothers: James Buttle, Andrew Buttle and Peter Buttle.

In a statement last night, Trust spokesperson Peter Buttle said his family had owned the island for over 80 years and were devastated by the tragic event.

"We are all shocked by what has occurred on Whakaari yesterday and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy," Mr Buttle said.

"We wish to thank everyone involved in the rescue effort, including the first responders, medical personnel and the locals who helped evacuate people from the island. Their efforts have been both courageous and extraordinary."

Whakaari / White Island was bought by the brothers' grandfather, George Raymond (Ray) Buttle in 1936 after mining operations on the island ended in bankruptcy.

The island was passed on to Ray's son, John Buttle, and it has remained in the Buttle family ever since, Peter Buttle said.

The family has witnessed tourism to Whakaari increase steadily over the past 30 years and the island has become a major international tourist attraction in the Bay of Plenty.

"That we now have had a tragic event with devastating consequences leaves us absolutely heartbroken. Our thoughts are with the families of those affected, as well as the wider Whakatāne community."

The Buttle family asks that the rāhui now placed on Whakaari is respected.

• Bay of Plenty

Copyright © 2019 , Radio New Zealand

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Whakatane Information

Search form, you are here, white island.

White Island (Whakaari) is an active volcano, situated 48 km from the coastal town, Whakatane. The island is the largest of the four islands in the Olive island chain. It is roughly circular, about two km in diameter, and rises to a height of 321 m above sea level. However this is only the peak of a much larger submarine mountain, which rises up to 1600 m above the nearby sea floor. As a result of the eruption, on-land tours of the island are prohibited. There are birds eye view tours of Whakaari / White Island available with local helicopter and plane tour guides.

You can monitor the Volcano and view the live web camera by clicking here.

See below for a list of White Island tour operators in Whakatane who can get you closer to the real thing.

Spotlight White Island Listings

CLUB TALK CHARTERS

Club Talk Charters offer Day Charters to White Island, Opotiki Mussel Farm or Waihau Bay.

Featured White Island Listings

MOUTOHORA ISLAND SANCTUARY

Tours of  Moutohorā (Whale Island) - one of New Zealand’s little-known treasures, departing from Whakatāne. 

OHIWA FISHING CHARTERS

Ohiwa Fishing Charters are doing fishing trips for individuals or sole charters, from Ohope Wharf out to the Opotiki Mussel Farm.

WHITE ISLAND FLIGHTS

On route to White Island get full commentary, exceptional service, safety, and great value ensure you get the most from this experience.

White Island Listings

GOOGLE STREET VIEW WHITE ISLAND (WHAKAARI)

Go on a virtual tour of White Island (Whakaari) using Google Street View. 

White Island is an active volcano situated in the ocean 48km from the township of Whakatane, Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand. White island attracts visitors from all over the world including a variety of sea life. Get a taste of what White Island has to offer by taking a virtual tour today.

White Island Map