Day 10 - White Island

Stayed overnight in Whakatane for the boat trip to White Island Marine Volcano. 90 minutes cruise on a huge motor cruiser which holds 90 passengers but today had only 40.  We arrived on the island via a rubber duckie tender and walked around on sulphur flats between steaming vent holes with sulphur melting and depositing as it hit the surface.  Also steam rising out of vents and the main crater and making mud pots where hot steam comes up through the mud. Like an amazing lunar landscape in the middle of the sea.

It erupted on August 24th when the boat was 200m from shore and they retreated 1.5 km off shore to avoid it.  It erupted again 2 weeks ago and covered the island in ash.  Amazing place.  We walked around the island with a guide for 2 hours, had lunch back on the boat and finished the trip with another 90 minute cruise back to the mainland.The sea was very rough both ways.  Luckily neither of us got sea sick but the same couldn't be said for quite a few passengers who all sat outside to get fresh air. Other than the rough sea the weather was great.

As usual my photos make it look piffling.  Ronnies will be better. 
Drove from Whakatane to Gisborne.  We're having lunch with Ronnie's relatives at the Tarapouri Fishing club, which I (foolishly) assumed would be in Tarapourim which it was, twenty years ago.  Now it has moved into the centre of town in Gisborne, so we've parked ourselves 10 minutes (this is what the brochure says and this would be accurate if you drove at 200 km/hr) out along the coast.  So we are staying in the Tarapouri Motorhome park so we can arrive showered and clean.  The park owner assures us we will be the first in the world to see the sunrise on Monday 28 October so we are pleased to be here!  Also have free internet which is a bonus.  Had Indian for dinner which was really nice.