White Island, aka Whakaari, stratovolcano, erupted in December 2019, with tragic consequences.

I had visited White Island a number of times since 2015, but was not until November 2019 that I was able to walk up to the crater lake near the centre of the island. That would be my first, and my last time. As I trudged across the island, I was struck by the landscape resembled a creation of Dante; a real vision of hell : steaming sulphurous fumaroles belching noxious gases and hot air laden with gritty, acrid smoke that seared the lungs. The lake itself appeared relavitely placid. As we stood at it’s edge it appeared almost tempting to dip one’s toe. At over 50 degrees C and with a pH close to that of battery acid, that would have been very unwise indeed. Two weeks later the lake exploded, with tragic results. White Island erupted because the magma (molten rock) is relatively close to the surface. This supra-heats water trapped in pores just beneath the surface, creating a delicately balanced, highly pressurised system. A minor disturbance can upset this balance – with explosive results. This is known as a phreatic eruption – superheated water rises at supersonic speed, expanding up to 1,700 times as it changes to steam. When White Island erupted in 2019 this steam, sulphur dioxide and ash sent up a plume over three kilometres high, with temperatures in the plume over 700 degrees C. Scientists warn that these types of eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict, even when sites are as well monitored as White Island, and that the warning time from observed changes may be only minutes. White Island is one of New Zealand’s most active volcanos; it was particularly active between 1976 and 2000 when many eruptions occurred, some larger than the fatal eruption of December 2019. Twenty two people died in the 2019 eruption; many more were very badly injured. As of 2025, the crater lake no longer exists, having been completely vapourised. No-one visits the island any more.

I shot this footage of White Island, aka Whakaari, crater lake in late November, 2019, approximately two weeks before the tragic 9th December 2019 eruption. Increased seismic activity and sulphurous gas emissions had already lead the Alert Level being raised to level 2. This is the pre-eruption lake. It was extremely acidic (pH approximately 1) and around 50 degree C. The green colour comes from the sulphur content and extremophyllic organisms (e.g. the algae Cyanidium caldarium and the sulphur bacteria Chlorobaculum tepidum, both of which will thrive in temperures of over 50 deg. C. The eruption of December 2019 blew the entire lake into the air. As of 2025 the lake no longer exists. The footage was shot on at 3840×2160, 60FPS, 60Mbps, H265. It was subsequently edited as ProResHQ. (13 seconds, 24FPS, 700Mbps, 1.2Gb). This version is H264, 50Mbps, 82Mb. Available to license, email for details.

Keywords: White island, Whakaari, White Island crater lake, White Island New Zealand, stratovolcano, phreatic eruption, steaming volcanic lake, active volcano, volcanic island, acidic lake, volcanic eruption, sulphurous gases,

Visiting active volcanoes is never without risk. Back in 2021 I wrote a more detailed blog on my thoughts about this, and how we approach risk in general. You can read it here.

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