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- Te Puia o Whakaari - The full Māori name for the island is 'Te Puia o Whakaari' meaning literally, 'The Dramatic Volcano'.
- White Island - On 1 November 1769 Captain Cook named it 'because as such it always appear'd to us'.
Whakaari/White Island is an active andesite stratovolcano, situated 48 km from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. New Zealand's most active cone volcano, it has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years. Whakaari is an active marine volcano and part of the 'Ring of Fire', around the Pacific Ocean.
On 18 November 2019 the alert level on Whakaari was lifted to 2 on the 0-5 scale, indicating moderate volcanic unrest.
On 4 December 2019 the Bay of Plenty Times reported; Unrest continues at Whakaari/White Island, with substantial gas, steam and mud bursts observed at a vent on the volcanic island off the Bay of Plenty coast. Explosive gas and steam-driven mud jetting has continued from the active vent area at the back of the crater lake. Other monitoring parameters remained elevated with the Volcanic Alert Level remaining at Level 2. The current level of activity did not pose a direct hazard to visitors (p. 3).
Five days later, on Monday 9 December 2019, a total of 47 people were on Whakaari at the time of two explosions from 2.11pm which fired a plume of ash 3.6km above the vent. 38 of those were tourists from the Royal Carribean Cruise Line company's cruise ship 'Ovation of the Seas' which had travelled from Sydney, Australia, and berthed at the Port of Tauranga just after 7am on 9 December.
In the face of extreme danger in the immediate aftermath of the eruption 34 injured people and five bodies were taken off the island. Two private helicopters were able to land and rescue survivors along with a volcanic air helicopter. One Westpac helicopter landed on the island and was able to transport survivors back to the mainland. A tourist boat also travelled to the island and rescued people stranded on the jetty at White Island. Halfway back to mainland, a coastguard vessel met the boat and paramedics came on board.
Among the injured or missing are 24 Australians between the ages of 17 and 72, Americans, Chinese, British and Malaysians, as well as New Zealanders. Thirteen Australians were transferred back to Australia to receive treatment, but the rare nature of the burns from a volcanic eruption is challenging.
Rescue helicopters, the police Eagle helicopter, and NZDF aircraft undertook a number of aerial reconnaissance flights over the island after the eruption, but found no sign of life.
At 4am on Tuesday 10 December a total rāhui was placed on Te Puia Whakaari and along the Eastern Bay of Plenty coastlines by Ngāti Awa and neighbouring iwi following a ceremony at the mouth of Ohinemataora [Whakat%C4%81ne] River. This is in respect of those who lost their lives and their whānau as well as protecting the mauri or life-force of the area. The rāhui status means the island is completely out of bounds. The Buttle family, who have owned Whakaari for over 80 years, asked that the rāhui placed on the motu (island) be respected. Out of continued respect for those yet to be returned to their loved ones, and the cultural implications around the likely presence of tūpāpaku (deceased) in the moana the rāhui placed by the local hapū of of Ūpokorehe, Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tai and Te Whānau a Apanui iwi remains in place for fishing and gathering seafood while the two remaining victims were still unaccounted for.
At 4pm on Tuesday 10 December Ngāti Te Rangi performed a karakia tau te mauri for the 'Ovation of the Seas'. Ngāti Te Rangi chairman Charlie Tawhio said the karakia te tau mauri was about bringing peace and rest to the spirit of the ship. The 'Ovation of the Seas' departed Tauranga on the morning of Wednesday 11 December. The ship was due to leave port on Monday night, but stayed in port after the captain made the public announcement at 6.15pm over the ship's PA system that guests and crew from the boat were on a tour to White Island when it erupted.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, 'To those who have lost or are missing family and friends we share in your unfathomable grief at this moment in time and in your sorrow,' and 'Your loved ones stood alongside Kiwis who are hosting you here and we grieve with you and we grieve with them.'
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made an emotional tribute to those affected by the eruption and thanked his "New Zealand cousins" for their assistance.
Māori singer-songwriter Maisey Rika who grew up in Whakatāne and the East Coast, wrote a waiata in tribute to Whakaari/White Island victims and their families.
The New Zealand Defence Force carried out an operation in risky conditions on the morning of 13 December and recovered six bodies from the island. Those recovered were transported by helicopter to the nearby Navy ship HMNZS Wellington and taken to Auckland.
Seven days after the eruption, on 16 December 2019, people across the country stood still at 2.11pm for a minute's silence to acknowledge those affected by the Whakaari/White Island eruption.
The Police Dive Squad was unable to locate Winona Jane Langford and Hayden Bryan Marshall-Inman whose bodies are believed to have been washed into the sea.
On 28 December 2019 the rāhui on the area was lifted after appropriate karakia was performed by Ngāti Awa tohunga.
The 22 people who died:
- Krystal Eve Browitt, 21
- Paul Browitt, ?
- Christopher Cozad, 43
- Gavin Brian Dallow, 53
- Richard Aaron Elzer, 32
- Jason David Griffiths, 33
- Barbara Jean Hollander, 50
- Berend Lawrence Hollander, 16
- Martin Berend Hollander, 48
- Matthew Robert Hollander, 13
- Zoe Ella Hosking, 15
- Anthony James Langford, 51
- Kristine Elizabeth Langford, 44
- Winona Jane Langford, 17
- Tipene James Te Rangi Ataahua Maangi, 24
- Hayden Bryan Marshall-Inman, 40
- Karla Michelle Mathews, 32
- Jessica Richards, 20
- Julie Richards, 47
- Mayuri Singh, 42
- Pratap Singh, 49
- Horst Westenfelder, 64