Wonders of Whakatane - White Island, Where the Devil Goes on Vacation

Small and quaint Whakatane also happens to be the “Gateway to White Island” allegedly New Zealand’s most active volcano. This strange type of tourist hot-spot is a far cry from sandy beaches, sunny resorts, or any of your typical destinations for vacationers. It is a small island, called Whakaari by the Maori, lies about 50 km (30 miles) from the coast, and is an a place of unusual natural beauty. Being hot, dusty, and completely devoid of any vegetation, it is not a place you would want to get stuck on. Regardless, or maybe precisely for that reason, many visitors pay hard dollars to go and visit the place regularly by boat or helicopter.

I have to be honest and admit that I did not go out there on this visit. The story of my experiences and the pictures I am sharing here go back to my first time in Whakatane ten years ago. I don’t intend on going back to White Island this time, or ever again. As exciting as it was the first time, I feel that one trip out there is more than enough. Back then my wife Elba shared this experience with me, and I’m grateful for her to have joined me in getting a glimpse of what hell may be like.

The first impression that struck us as soon as we got off the boat was the glaring sun and beating heat, which felt quite extreme even for the otherwise pleasant Winter weather. No wonder, the entire island doesn’t have anything to block the sun, which the white colored ground reflects almost as much as the surrounding ocean. Not the most pleasant experience. To make things worse, the porous ground created a great deal of dust as soon as we set foot on it, covering our clothes in a white shroud. As our guide explained to us, this dust, as well as the water that flowed in the small stream in front of our feet, was highly acidic. Its pH level was around 2, similar to Coca Cola, and also not meant for human consumption. From occasional holes in the ground hot acidic steam was rising up. No wonder the places proved to be so inhospitable to most forms of life we’re comfortable around.

White Island is mostly notable for its rich sulfur deposits. For this reason the place was used as a sulfur mine from around the turn of the century. A number of giant cogs and other left-over machinery attested to this, though it was obvious that the local conditions deteriorated them quite rapidly. Nothing lasts in this environment for long, and even we were encouraged to give our shoes and clothes a thorough scrubbing with an alkaline liquid to counter the effects of the acid.

At the same time we were told horrific stories of murder and suicide that befell the miners unfortunate enough to have gotten roped into coming to this god-forsaken island. Those that managed to keep their sanity ended up getting killed by a lihar, a type of volcanic mud-slide. Apparently their pay, though higher than that of any other laborer, was still not high enough to make it worth while. Eventually the mine was shut down, and in spite of the loads of sulfur still remaining on the island, it was abandoned as a mine. It turned out to be much more lucrative to take tourist to White Island who are crazy enough to pay for an hour of horror, before getting back onto the boat in full numbers. Really, one thing the company rarely has to worry about are visitors lagging behind or drifting too far from the boat. Almost everyone is happy to get away as quickly as possible.

It was not any different with us. Sure, it was fun taking pictures of the desolate landscape and the decaying structures, and jumping around on the ground’s surface, which felt like a drum stretching over a hollow area below the ground. But once it was time to leave, we were glad to be back on the boat, heading back to the lush and beautiful mainland. Even though this excursion was brief, it made us appreciate the green hills and soft rain so much more. Maybe, for this reason, it was was a good idea to go out to White Island. Still, I don’t think I want to repeat this trip.

Take a Look at the Rest of my Series Wonders of Whakatane:

• An Excursion to the Origins
• On the Footsteps of Toi
• The Ohope Scenic Reserve
• White Island, Where the Devil Goes on Vacation
• Birds in my Mom’s Garden
• Nativism, a Destructive Form of Environmentalism
• The World's First Vertigraph
• Local Murals of Whakatane
• The Deeds of Legendary Maui

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