Day 37 Ohope Beach, White Island and Awakeri Springs

We went to bed with a beautiful night sky hanging over Ohope Beach which is one of the many beaches in the Bay of Plenty.

Night Sky over Ohope Beach

We woke to a beautiful warm, sunny morning and OH OH, the wind is blowing and the waves are rolling.



Ohope Beach




Bay of Plenty



It is not a good time to be getting on a boat, especially with my stomach.  However that is exactly what we are doing.  We are heading 35 nautical miles or 48 kilometers out into the Bay of Plenty.  Our destination is White Island which is New Zealand’s most active volcano.  How do I get myself talked into these things.

Undaunted, I put on a brave face, popped a couple of  "Tripease", stuck an earplug in one ear and headed for the dock.  Our ship was called the PeeJay V, not sure what happened to the other four???? 



Peejay V

We boarded at around 9:15AM and were soon underway.  It was pretty calm getting out of the harbor but we soon hit the open waters with swells of 4-5 high feet and the ride began. The trip was approximately 90 minutes and it wasn't very long before the most essential piece of equipment was put into use by a number of people.  Seasick Bags.  We were sitting at the back of the boat and they kept bringing the unwell back there.  Probably in case they missed their bag.  There were so many people being sick that Kathy had to go to the front.  Me, I was just enjoying the fact it wasn't me being sick.  I guess the earplug worked.

Once we reached the island we were shuttled in on motorized rubber rafts a few at a time.

It was like stepping on to a movie set with iron colored rocks, steam hissing out of large holes, the smell of sulphuric gases, bubbling mud pits and the threat of an eruption at any time.  I have never experienced anything like it. 



White Island

White Island, named by Captain Cook, is a large submarine volcano 150,000 - 200,000 years old.  The base of the volcano is 16 km by 18 km but the island is only 2.4 km by 2 km with the rest being under the ocean.  Along with Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. St Helens, White Island produces explosive eruptions and the last one was in 2000.  The debris and ash covered the entire island and some of the ocean.

The tour was about to begin so we donned our supplied equipment and headed off.

We didn't have to wear the gas masks all the time but there was a few times when they were really appreciated.

  

We were asked (told) to follow the worn track as we wound our way between giant mounds of ash and rock.  We had to avoid smaller pressure mounds because their brittle crust hide potentially scalding water or mud.  We then climbed and came to a large mud pool that is commonly referred to as “The Spa” Nobody was interested in a treatment.



Mud Bath Anyone.

A further climb brought us to the island's active crater and its very acidic lake, it is almost pure acid.  We were told it was a good place to get rid of a body.  I guess Kathy still loves me.





Crater Lake



The picture only represents a small portion of the lake and I had to wait for the right wind to clear that much of it.  It is called Crater Lake and can rise and fall as much as a meter in a day.

We made our return to the boats by taking a viewpoint of two previously active craters, more steam and mud pits, sulfur crystals and acid streams.  I could go on and on about our two hours on the island but I think pictures tell the true story better than I can.

Heat Pressure Mound Today



Boiling Mud Pot the Next Day



As we got close to the boat we saw the remains of the old sulphur mines that operated in the early 1900's.  Conditions and poor quality of sulphur made for a short existence.



We boarded the boat for home and watched the island slowly fade in the distance. 

It was a perfect day for a lot of reasons…. I didn't get seasick… it felt like we were walking on the moon… the trip was everything we imagined and more… I didn't get seasick…it's the closest I want to get to a volcano again… I didn't have to drive… and I didn't get seasick.

If anyone ever gets to this part of the world, White Island is a must do.

As we arrived back and were slowly entering the harbor we passed a statue of a lady on a rock. The statue is of Wairaka who was a Maori chief’s daughter.  About 800 years ago a group of Maori including Wairaka entered the harbor.  The men climbed the hillside leaving the women and children in the canoes.  When the outgoing tide was threatening to carry away the canoe, Wairake exclaimed: “ E! Kia whakatane au I ahau” which means “Let me act the part of a man” This was a breach in tradition but the women paddled the canoe back to safety and from this incident, Whakatane received its name.

Statue of Wairake

Once we arrived back on land we stopped and had a latte and then headed for Awakeri Springs which was about 10 kilometers down the road.  We checked in, went for a soak, had supper and called it a night.  We were both pretty tired, an exhilarating tired, but tired.

A few extra shots from White Island