Volcanic eruption on White Island, NZ (outside of Tauranga)

[RooFlyer]

Thanks drron. When I posted above, my implication was that this might have been an unforcastable 'act of God'. But if there is a documented history, then that may change things#. I note in their conclusions they indicate applicability to assessing risks for tourists.

Visiting an active volcano (other than the big island of Hawaii) is on my bucket list. Might take time to read some literature first on the spot I go to (I'm thinking Tanna in Vanuatu).

# Edit: I note from today's Oz on-line:

Tour company ‘professional’

White Island Tours, one of the companies which took tourists to Whakaari/White Island, is regarded as a professional, careful outfit according to the industry watchdog.

The company was required to undergo adventure activity audits to be registered with Work Safe and auditor Integra/Adventure Mark, told local media the company had sufficient evacuation and risk management plans in place.

Integra managing director Hemi Morete said his company had supplied White Island Tours’ audit to Work Safe, which was conducting an investigation.

“We have audited them since 2017 and have found them very professional. They have only ever had minor non-conformities in their audits,” he said.

“We have provided all relevant documentation to Work Safe and we are ready to answer all questions they might have.”

 

[drron]

Been to both Big Island and Tanna.Different experiences so see them both.

 

[DC3]

I have to say that visiting an active volcano will never be on my bucket list. .

However, even though I enjoyed my trip to Big Island, I have no intention of getting up nice and cosy with an active crater for some reason. But hey, maybe that’s just me.

 

[juddles]

My bucket list does not include visiting an active volcano. Far too risky, given that with Climate Change these things will obviously start to explode every few days...

 

[drron]

Now saying 5 deaths and 8 missing.
However virtually all the 31 injured have serious burns.Over 20 in a critical condition.
NZ's major burns unit has had as many admissions since the eruption as it normally has in a year.
criminal investigation being launched.

'We weren’t advised of any warnings', cruise passenger says

Six people are confirmed dead after a volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island, with almost a dozen Australian tourists still unaccounted for.

www.news.com.au

 

[Pushka]

Just the other Day I was checking into our next cruise to see if there was an excursion to Vesuvius. We did climb Mt Etna area a couple of years ago. But not down inside. I see criminal proceedings have been launched. I suspect it’s just the necessary exploratories at this stage. It sounds like even the health of the hospitalised patients is grave.

An excellent site here

New Zealand police to investigate volcanic eruption - as it happened

PM confirms five dead after White Island eruption, as health authorities say some of the injured will not survive severe burns. Follow rolling updates

www.theguardian.com

 

[RooFlyer]

Re visiting volcanoes. Some lava types are 'runny' ( silica poor basalt) and are very unlikely to go 'bang'. Hawaii is this type.

Others have sticky lava ( silica rich rhyolite) and when this gets suck in the throat of a volcano, the pent up pressure underneath makes it go bang. Like Vesuvius and Mt St Helens. Like I mentioned above, you usually get some seismic warning and even some bulging with these types.

Both those types are predictable and well known. What isn't predicable are the effects of water/Steam and weaknesses in the cone ( caused Mt St Helens to explode sideways)..

Edit: This NZ volcano I discover is a composition ( andesite) between the two I described.

 

[opusman]

It's a little bit like being worried about smoke haze from the Sydney bushfires when you're booked to go to Melbourne - don't panic AustralianPoochie and look forward to your upcoming business class trip!

It's a valid concern. Smoke haze doesn't make jet engines shut down, volcanic ash does. Flights in and out of Hobart were cancelled because of a volcano in Chile!

 

[jase05]

Three Adelaide people missing. Mum (occupation unknown) and Dad (lawyer) and their teenager at school.

Mother has been found on the island with severe burns. Her partner and 11yo daughter still missing

 

[froggerADL]

And now an earthquake in the same area!

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand as second volcano eruption expected

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off New Zealand’s east coast just one day after a volcano eruption on White Island killed five people.

au.yahoo.com

A certain ex rugby player will be having a field day!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Apologies to the Mods and thanks.

Not related to the post either, sorry, but that point where the oceanic volcano occurred, is sometimes the turning point for flights from Aust to Auckland airport, if they make it over Auckland city, and then turn into the runway over Papatoetoe/Manukau way.
Virgin Aust still has some blub about the volcano over Mt Agung a while back.

 

[juddles]

Aust Pooch, I get your concerns re future flights - as you say, an eruption can have distant and long lived flight consequences. But this appears not to be such an event.

This was a terrible local event, but very minor on any larger scale. I really feel for the people at the site. Steam burns are nasty in the kitchen, let alone those unleashed by the Earth.

 

[eric2011]

Mother has been found on the island with severe burns. Her partner and 11yo daughter still missing

Wasnt she found in the burns unit at Hamilton hospital

 

[jase05]

Wasnt she found in the burns unit at Hamilton hospital

Yes, the earlier media report I saw said they found her on the island but about an hour later it was mentioned that she was found at the Hamilton hospital

 

[eric2011]

The media...don't let the truth get in the way of a good story

 

[DC3]

While travel insurance policies vary, would it be usual for cover to include entering the crater of an active volcano?

Medical/evacuation/repatriation could be extremely costly. Not that I intend to put this to the test.

 

[eric2011]

My annual policy specifically says it will not pay under any circumstances for any extraordinary natural phenomena and includes the words earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions etc. Also mentions falling objects from space. It then goes on to say...this exclusion does not apply to Overseas emergency medical assistance, Overseas emergency medical and additional expenses

While travel insurance policies vary, would it be usual for cover to include entering the crater of an active volcano?

 

[suze2000]

Visiting the Tanna volcano in Vanuatu would have to be one of the best things I have ever done (profile pic) and I am eager to go back and see it at sunset (the plane overflies the volcano if safe on sunset flights too). There was almost no infrastructure and the lava that was ejecting was falling safely back into the crater, so it was most exciting and enjoyable.

 

[Pushka]

i cannot understand why Cruise Critic has seen fit to close the discussion thread for RCL (the owner of the ship in question) on the Volcano. Pretty disgusted with them censoring like that. And it wasn’t as if the conversation had turned bad.

 

[drron]

When we visiting the Tanna volcano the bombs were going over our heads.
..

.

We really shouldn't have been there.The locals weren't afraid though us tourists were asking to leave.