Visit my Flickr page - Photodiary Facebook Group

Oceania/New Zealand/Whakatane Location: White Island Africa/Botswana/Chobe

Dolphins! 4 December 2002
I was going to go to White Island at 6am in the morning, but because of some engine trouble the boat wasn't going to leave until noon. I almost gave up on it as I wanted to head to Auckland, but at the last minute decided to go anyway.... Wow... Just the way there was amazing, when suddenly a flock of Dolphins appeared and swam with the boat....
Two dolphins 4 December 2002
White Island in the background...
Smoke blowing from it.... 4 December 2002
The most active volcano in New Zealand....
Dolphin 4 December 2002
Up Close just next to the boat... A short while later we encountered a huge sunfish... If our tour was going to be over then, I'd still be tremendously happy.
Safe Nesting Place 4 December 2002
Most of White Island is inhabitable and the air is polluted and acidic... This side however has been turned into a nesting grounds.... There are no predators...
Seagulls 4 December 2002
Bird Airport....
Nice Seagull Photo 4 December 2002
I am getting good at those....
Former Mining Station 4 December 2002
White Island has had several lives in the past as a mining colony.... In the end however, a poisonous cloud wiped out several lives here....
Smoke from the crater 4 December 2002
Rising next to the ruins of the mining station....
Surface of the Moon 4 December 2002
An old boiler rusting in the middle of White Island...
Tour Guide 4 December 2002
Explaining us how to use our gas masks....
Wood and Iron 4 December 2002
The air here is so acidic, it has destroyed almost everything - however any wood has remained absolutely impeccable.
Camera and a Gasmask 4 December 2002
Is really all you need.
Starring at the eruption 4 December 2002
We were getting closer to the crater....
Walking up towards the crater 4 December 2002
Hearing the noise and the rumbling and feeling the hot ground shake underneath our feet.
At the crater.... 4 December 2002
What a sight!
Lake and Eruption 4 December 2002
A poisonous green lake and next to it the eruption hole... Rocks flying out of it... And the smoke erupting in rumbling explosions, expanding and contracting... Amazing and a bit scary....
The second group 4 December 2002
...looking into the crater....
Always take a geologist along 4 December 2002
Eric from Germany is a geologist and explained to me all the different layers of iron, their coloring and substance and what this tells us about the volcano...
Sulphur Stream 4 December 2002
Rotten eggs, anyone?
The scale of it all 4 December 2002
The crater in the back.... And a small tour group....
Rust 4 December 2002
This is not wood... This is iron that the air has turned into a rusty sculpture...
More Rust 4 December 2002
Peeling off like paper mache...
Face says it all! 4 December 2002
Dolphins! Sunfish! Crater! Abandoned Mining Ghost Town! That was the crowing end to my vacation... Now all I had to do was rush for Auckland...
Add a comment to this Location Page
Name (required):
Location:
Comments:

-
About this page | Contact Me at photodiary (at) gmail.com | Last Updated: 19 June 2008 - ©2007 Julian Pye