NOVEMBER 2009
Marine Life
With the water temperature increasing our boat crew has reported an increase in marine life sightings. Last week visitors were treated to viewing a Minke Whale and also a pod of dolphins! Seal pups have been spotted on Troops Head out at White Island and the Australiasian Gannets are nesting at the moment. Check out the footage below taken by PJ crew!
A large slip has fallen on the outer walls of the north east corner which has left a huge scar in the side of our resident volcano! Crew report that the slip has occurred in an area which was known to have small steam vents on the outer area indicating that the area is unstable.
Crew and visitors to White Island have experienced some very steamy days as you can see in the photo, as the weather warms up we are having some absolutely stunning conditions on the Island with bright blue skies and excellent viewing.
If your planning on visiting White Island with us in the next few months be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment – remember no pre-payment is required due to the weather dependency.
Dolphin and Whale Nature Rush kicks off on 1st December 2009 – a fantastic way to see the bay from the ocean while also viewing some of the amazing marine life we are blessed to have in this area.
PeeJays Coffee House kicks off the new summer hours on 10th December 2009 – 6.30am to 5.30pm daily – come down and check out the mouth watering options from the cabinet, enjoy a beer or wine on the sunny top deck or grab a real Havana coffee on the go. We are also proud to display for sale some stunning artwork by some of the crew from PJ's!
- OCTOBER 2009
- SEPTEMBER 2009
- AUGUST 2009
- JULY 2009
- JUNE 2009
- MAY 2009
- APRIL 2009
- March 2009
- JANUARY 2009
- December 2008
- September 2008
- AUGUST 2008
- JUNE 2008
- MAY 2008
- APRIL 2008
- MARCH 2008
- NOVEMBER 2007
- AUGUST 2007
- JULY 2007
OCTOBER 2009
PeeJays Coffee House are now boasting their new breakfast menu and also going through a few renovations. I’ll post new photos once the makeover is complete!
All the teams here at PJ’s have got some new additions in preparation for our summer - a big welcome to all our summer crew!
Guides from White Island have reported quite a few changes this month with the most recent being up at the main crater – as you can see from the YouTube footage below the cracks are forming and the edge is starting to slump.
Dragons Foot continues to expand and now lies approximately 2 foot from the water causeway. It’s neighbor, Fumerole O, has also expanded and guides have said it’s one of the most active spots on the island at the moment providing those who get near with thunderous roars from below the surface and the spectacular sight of thick steam plumes being emitted. Fumerole O is certainly a favourite area with our visitors and guides alike!
If you regularly check up on what’s happening at White Island you would have noticed the new camera that has been installed by GNS. It provides a much clearer image for the scientists who monitor the volcano – check out http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/article-oct-29-2009-dino-in-the-clear.html for further information on the new camera.
SEPTEMBER 2009
Things around PJ's HQ are started to swing into our busy season - HR are busy recruiting for the summer http://www.whiteisland.co.nz/employment_opportunities_whakatane.html , the crew at PJ's Coffee House are almost ready to launch their new spring/summer menu which I've seen and looks divine (be sure to check it out before going out on the trip for the day), reservations crew have seen an upsurge in phone calls and emails so it's all go around here!
Spring is well and truly here with some spectacular days at White Island! Along with the warmer weather comes marine life and crew have called in with reports of Orca coming through our Bay along with dolphin sightings and regular seal spotting around the Island.
We had a visit from a film crew in September who used the Island as location for a scene in a movie - stay tuned to hear what they were doing (our lips are sealed for now).
The crater lake continues to bubble and toil like a witches couldron with the acidic green colour showing - we have been blessed with fantastic viewing conditions up at the main crater.
As you can see in the images below the inner crater area continues to be very soggy with mud pots appearing in places they wearn't the previous day! Some of our mudpots that have been there for months and continue to splutter and grow.
For further images taken by our PJ guides over the month of September check out our photostream on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteislandnewzealand/
To our Asia/Pacific neighbours currently in turmoil from the recent natural disasters- you are in our thoughts and prayers.
AUGUST 2009
The crew has reported some very steamy days on White Island over August; the picture below shows a large steam plume hovering over our resident volcano reaching heights of up to 1500m! Fumerole O was the main producer of this impressive plume!
A decent magnitude 6.0 earthquake was recorded on the 1st September 2009 60km North of White Island. The magnitude was large however the focal depth of the quake was 250km so there was no damage recorded – GNS have reported that it was felt widely in the southern North Island and northern South Island. Funnily enough after phoning our crew that were at the Island on the day for an update we found that they didn’t feel a thing and the White Island seismograph didn’t show it either however people as far as Nelson reported feeling the quake!
Image from http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/3147526g-maps.html
For those who would like to keep a visual update on what is happening on White Island feel free to load the following link into your ‘favourites’ http://www.youtube.com/whiteislandvolcano
Our tour guides are taking regular footage during their time on White Island and are recording anything of interest such as changes to landscape, amazing sites and marine encounters – we are then uploading them onto our You Tube channel for you to keep in touch with the ‘going’s on’ at this fascinating marine volcano! Below is some footage that has recently been shot on White Island:
If you are planning to be in the Whakatane area over October 2009 be sure to check out the annual BirdsaPlenty Festival – BirdsaPlenty Festival 2009 White Island Tours is proud to support this festival which celebrates the diverse range of bird life in the region.
With the warmer weather approaching the interest to get out to White Island is increasing – if you are planning a trip to White Island over the Spring/Summer months be sure to get in touch with our reservations crew to secure your booking with us.
JULY 2009
Many thanks to all our visitors who voted for us in the ‘Rankers Travellers Voted Awards 2009’. The PJ crew are chuffed to come out as the winner of the ‘Volcanic and Geothermal Category’ an award that we consider a great achievement after all the award process is based solely on the vote from our visitors. THANK YOU, WE APPRECIATE IT!!
http://www.rankers.co.nz?ref=194
Dino’s New Home
If you regularly visit our site to catch up on the goings on at White Island you would have noticed our friend Dino has got a new sunny spot in the sun! The camera which takes a photo every hour of the inner crater area of White Island used to sit on the old sulphur mining factory wall. The camera was in a spot of bother when the corrosive environment caused the concrete wall to crumble. Scientists at GNS have now moved the camera to a location under Troops Head which gives a wide shot of the inner crater area. Word is it will stay here until a more permanent site is established.
http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/article-jul-21-2009-dino-s-new-home.html
Crew are reporting that the new track is going well and visitors continued to be wowed by the roaring vents, expanding mud pots and the mighty main crater.
Boats are still going daily weather permitting, the back end of winter is showing us glimpses of spring with some gorgeous sunny days. A great time to visit the Eastern Bay of Plenty for your White Island experience!
JUNE 2009
Dragons Foot continues to be a force to be reckoned with! During this month the vent overflowed with water right onto the path we walk on, this means our track has completely changed to avoid the Dragons Foot area. The new track still gives fantastic viewing of the ever changing vent but at a safe viewing point! The new track also gets you up close and personal with facinating sulphur chimneys, steaming vents and plenty of mud pots!
Speaking of mud pots, they are continuing to grow and pop up throughout the crater floor. The one shown below is a pot that actually started out as a heat and pressure mound, then changed into a small mud pot and as you can see is now quite monstrous! Check out this link to see and hear Jules explain it in more detail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmLHmp5KfKg&feature=channel_page
Steamy days at the Island have made the crater lake abit differcult to see but guides report little change in the colour and water level.
Shane and Norma had a great time on the trip with some awesome photos - check out their blog http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?CommentID=74427 and see what they thought of our resident volcano.
Who said winter isn't a good time to visit White Island! Check out the image below to see how amazingly stunning a winter morning in the Eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand can be. (ok it was abit chilly but we had jackets!!)
MAY 2009
Dragons Foot has undergone radical changes this month! First of all a landslide came down and covered the steaming vent this resulted in the steam finding a new path to come the surface and has changed the area significantly. Isaac also has reported an amazing sight - a geyser of water getting blown out of this area (see photo).
Mudpots continue to litter the crater floor and the lake still appears to be leaching through the inner crater floor.
The crater lake colouring has changed to an acidic looking green giving it the appearance of a witches caldron!
The days are cooling down now as we head into our winter months - we will continue to run tours throughout the winter when the weather will let us.
Check out White Island through the eyes of 'Sarah Down Undah' http://sarahdownundah.livejournal.com/33432.html the dolphin photos on this blog are phenomenal!
APRIL 2009
Dragons Foot vent is constantly changing and guides are finding it as facinating as our visitors! Still roaring with awesome force it is certainly proving to be a favourite visiting spot on the Island for all. Guides have reported that the lake water still appears to be leaching through the inner crater which is causing an increase in activity with new vents and boiling pools forming all the time.
The Australsian Gannets are starting to leave their nests on White Island and begin their journey back to South Australia - they should arrive back to us at the end of winter. In the mean time the New Zealand fur seal is making their way back to the Island and visitors aboard the boats are regularly spotting them basking in in the sun on the rocks and swimming in the waters surrounding White Island.
I had to include this image of breakfast at PeeJays Coffee House - it looks so delicious! If your coming on tour be sure to check in abit earlier and start the day with breakfast at PeeJays before your adventure!
March 2009
Autumn is now upon us in the Eastern Bay, the mornings are getting cooler but we have been enjoying the sunshine during the day. The last couple of days have seen a flat calm sea and perfect conditions for visiting our resident volcano!
With the summer season winding down our Dolphin and Whale Nature Rush will be finishing up on 31st March. Isaac and the crew have had an awesome season and have enjoyed showing our visitors around the stunning bays of Whale Island and also viewing dolphins in crystal clear waters around our Bay.
PeeJays Coffee House is also about to see some changes in the opening hours coming into the winter season. From Monday 06th April 2009 opening hours will be 6.30am - 11.00am Monday to Friday and 6.30am - 12.00pm Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to check out the delicious new breakfast menu!
White Island continues to be a place of interest for many - bubbling mud pots are continuing to pop up around the place, Dragon's Foot is still wowing our visitors with its mighty roar and impressive plume of steam, the crater lake dazzling with bubbling underwater vents and the everchanging colours. We had Mr. and Mrs Jeffries from the UK on the boat last week - it was their 10th visit to White Island which is a great effort! They had witnessed so many changes over the years and had an absolute facination with the Island, we look foward to welcoming them back in 2010!
Many of our visitors liken walking inside White Island to "walking on the moon".
The crew filming 'Last Flight' took this comment literally and came and used White Island as a location for their upcoming movie - www.lastflightmovie.com It was fantastic having them with us and we wish Sarah and the crew all the best with their project!
JANUARY 2009
Visitors to Whakatane and locals alike have been enjoying beautiful settled weather over the last few weeks, conditions have been favorable for those seeking to be volcano explorers for the day!
Viewing conditions at the
We recently had the cruise ship ‘Clipper Odyssey’ meet us at the Island, passengers aboard the ship had the opportunity to come ashore and visit
Visitors aboard the PeeJay vessels over the last month have had the pleasure of viewing the amazing marine life that comes into our Bay over the summer months. Crew have reported seeing a humpback whale breach, a minke whale, huge pods of common dolphins, orca, bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, sunfish and blue mao mao.
December 2008
Welcome to the new White Island Tours website! We hope you enjoy looking around!
White Island continues to provide our visitors with spectacular sights, smells and sounds. The crew has reported that the lake hasn't moved all that much lately and is currently sitting at approximately 9 metres from overflow. The scientists have told our crew that the temperature of the lake water is sitting at 57 degrees celcius with a PH level of -.1. A brand new feature at White Island is DRAGON'S FOOT!! It's loud and steamy and provides visitors with a awesome show of the power of mother nature (pictured below).
Dolphin and Whale Nature Rush has now started and passengers are having a blast on this 2 hour ocean adventure! The crew aboard Sea Three reported seeing 'literally thousands' of dolphins on the trip last week. With the warmer weather upon us now the ocean has 'come to life' with an array of sea birds and marine mammals. The picture below was taken on a trip this week - as you can see, Sea Three is a awesome vessel to view marine life from as you are so close to the water! Trips are departing daily (weather and numbers dependent) and are run through the summer season.
Passengers aboard PJV had an amazing day last week! Not only did they get to walk around the inner crater of an active marine volacano for a couple of hours - they then sat back aboard a luxury vessel and watched the Orca play and swim around the boat - WHAT A DAY!
September 2008
A Welcomed Visitor
The days are warming up here in the Bay and the weather slightly more settled then the ferocious winter we’ve had!
A Southern Right Whale graced the shores of nearby Ohope Beach this week – giving people on land and sea a fantastic sight! Crew and passengers aboard PJ4 saw the whale yesterday before heading out to White Island. Southern Right Whales are named as such because in the whaling days they were the “right’ whale to hunt – being slow swimmers (generally less then 5mph) and often travelling close to the coast (as our visitor did). The photo of the whale shown was taken by Rosemary Tully.
What’s happening on White?
The crater lake is still steadily rising and seems to have engulfed the pegs that the scientists use to measure how fast it is rising! The crew are reporting on plenty of noise roaring out of fumerole O (pictured) and the sulphur chimneys on the northern wall. Awesome viewing conditions on the island at the moment with the sunshine back in our area!
DID YOU KNOW? If the crater lake at White Island was completely full it would hold a whopping 1.8 million cubic metres of water and be 7.5 hectares in area!!
Ref: www.geonet.org.nz Website for IGNS
AUGUST 2008
WHITE ISLAND TOURS – AWARD WINNERS!White Island Tours has won the Visitor Attraction category at the Tourism Industry Awards held in Christchurch last week. An outstanding achievement that all the team is proud of.
JUNE 2008
White Island Tours have been made finalists in the New Zealand Tourism Industry Awards for the second year running! We are finalists in the ‘Leisure Activity’ sub category and also the ‘Visitor Activities and Attractions’ category. We look forward to hearing the results in August.
Passenger’s aboard PeeJay 4 last week were given a spectacular sight - literally minutes after crossing our river entrance! About 20 bottlenose dolphins treated our passengers and crew with an awesome encounter. See the photo to see how close to shore they were!
The crater lake continues to rise at White Island. The scientists have put the pegs back out to measure the increase (see photo). The lake sits at approximately 15-17 metres from overflow. After the heavy rainfall out at the Island during April and May the water causeways have widened and deepened. This erosion process has exposed new layers of ash and rock. The sulphur chimneys and vents continue to amaze our visitors with their powerful noise levels and sparkling crystals.
Joel and the crew at PeeJays Coffee House are pleased to bring you the new winter menu! Hearty breakfast dishes such as ‘Whakaari Breakfast Extreme’ and the delectable ‘Cinnamon and Apple Hotcakes’ are sure to tempt the taste buds of our visitors. Lunch dishes include ‘Spiced Tangy Calamari’ and they say the ‘Skippers Open Steak Sandwich’ is a dish not to be missed! Gluten Free options are available. If you’re planning a trip to White Island with us why not come down earlier to check in for your tour and enjoy breakfast onsite at PeeJays Coffee house before you embark on your day out with us.
Don’t forget we also have our motel onsite – White Island Rendezvous. If you are coming out on tour with us and are looking for accommodation while you are in Whakatane just let our reservations team know.
MAY 2008
CRATER LAKE AND VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
White Island’s crater lake continues to rise at a steady rate leaving it about 17.5 metres from overflow. The PH level is still high and sits at approximately -.1
The island continues to pump out large quantities of CO2 and SO2, latest reports have told us that the island is producing 900-2900 tonnes per day of CO2 and 31-170 tonnes per day of SO2! Remember the above quantities are PER DAY!
Due to a lot of rain recently guides have reported that steam vents are very powerful at the moment giving visitors an all round sensory experience with the noise and smells on the island (see photo below).
MARINE LIFE
While we sadly say goodbye to the Australasian Gannets again for the year (they’ve gone off on their yearly expedition to Australia) we welcome back multitudes of New Zealand Fur Seals! Crew have reported a large increase in seal numbers over the past couple of weeks and because we have a license to view marine life, as a passenger aboard PeeJay you can comfortably enjoy watching these amazing creatures. As well as seals our crew have reported seeing the occasional pod of dolphins as well!
Many thanks to those who responded to our spider photo on last month’s newsflash. Mr Phipps advised that it could be a Seashore Spider (myro marinus). I have been wondering if anyone else noticed that it only has 7 legs!
NEW HOURS FOR WHITE ISLAND RENDEZVOUS AND PEEJAYS COFFEE HOUSE
The days are starting to cool and we are making our way into the winter season of the year. Our new hours are as follows:
White Island Rendezvous (motel accommodation and White Island Tours booking office): 6.30am - 9.00pm - 7 days a week
PeeJays Coffee House: 6.30am – 2.00pm - 7 days a week
APRIL 2008
A MORE SUSTAINABLE TRACK
Our walking track on White Island has recently changed. Instead of walking back towards the factory right through the middle of the Island we now follow the water cause way along the northern side. By doing this it limits the impact we have on the Island as we are following the natural cause way. When it rains our footprints are washed away leaving a clean untouched look. Not only is it a more sustainable route it also offers spectacular close up views of a bright yellow sulphur chimney (see photo below) and other awesome sights. Even if you’ve done the tour before there is always something new to see on White Island!
MARINE LIFE
The New Zealand Fur Seals are starting to arrive back at White Island with PeeJay crews reporting a significant increase in their numbers over the last week. See if you can spot them on the rocks when you visit the Island!
LAKE
The crater lake at White Island is still slowly rising with the last temperature reading of 53 degrees.
BRAVE LITTLE SPIDER!
Check out the photo below of the brave spider that one of the PeeJay crew captured on film. As you can see he is crawling on crystals which generate some heat. If anyone has any information on the type of spider this could be please email us – we are keen to find out more about this tough little creature!
MARCH 2008
The island looks spectacular with the rainfall that has occurred over the last few weeks. The volume of steam and noise coming out of fumarole ‘P’ (a new fumarole on the southern wall) has been increasing over the last few weeks... On Saturday 8th March, part of the crater wall above this fumarole collapsed causing a slip of rocks and mud to tumble down over the fumarole. A tour group watching from the distance had a timely reminder they were standing on an active volcano! Certainly a place to watch closely over the next few weeks...
The lake is still rising slowly since its low point last winter- it currently sits at approximately 19 metres below overflow. The temperature has decreased to 50◦C and the P.H has dropped to -.5 …it is still one of the most acidic lakes in the world! Here is an updated Lake Level plot from the Institute of Geological Sciences:
The fish life continues to amaze, the schools of trevally and blue maomao on the surface around the island. Our sightings of dolphins and whales have been incredible over the last few days!
On Saturday (8th March) PeeJay V and PeeJay IV came across four different species of marine life during the trips to and from the island…first PeeJay V came across a pod of common dolphins about 10 miles north of Whakatane. Then approximately 2 miles south of White Island they found a pod of bottlenose dolphins led by Pilot Whales who put on a spectacular aerial display for both boats. There were also False Killer Whales amongst the pod, who were feeding frantically on a large species of fish (thought to be tuna).
Note: We didn't manage to capture any great photographs from Saturday's marine encounters - although we got awesome footage from the on-board underwater camera on PeeJay V. Passengers who were on that day – feel free to email photos to marketing@whiteisland.co.nz and we will put them up on the site!
NOVEMBER 2007
PeeJay V came across a rare Blue whale on the way to White Island on Thursday. PeeJay V was about 12 miles south of White Island in approximately 130m of water, when they came across the whale (or the whale came across them!)
The passengers and crew were absolutely thrilled, they had a fantastic viewing of the Blue Whale, which obliged by playing alongside the boat.
Sightings of Blue whales are pretty uncommon these days - the Southern Hemisphere population is estimated to be around 1,000.
The length of the whale was between 26 – 30 metres long (PeeJay V is just under 23 metres long). Video footage was captured and aired on TV3 news on Thursday night.
Some interesting facts:
- Blue whales is not only the largest living animal but probably the largest creature the world has ever known.
- Their throat groove extends over 60% of their body length
- The heart is about the size of a small VW car and their tongue is the weight of an elephant!
- A small child could crawl through the whale’s aorta
- Their call reaches levels of up to 188 decibels, which is louder than a jet at only 140 decibels
AUGUST 2007
VOLCANIC ACTICITY
The crater-lake level is currently sitting at about 27m from overflow. Scientists from GNS were out there on the 1st of August and recorded lake temperature at 62.4°C. The Island currently sits at alert level one indicating constant background activity.
LANDSLIDES
The rain and cooler temperatures have made for fantastic viewing conditions, with stunning colors in the saturated rock. Over 350 ml’s fell in the last two weeks resulting in several minor landslides at the back of the main crater.
MARINE LIFE
The Australasian Gannets are starting to return to White Island after their winter escape to the warmer coasts of Australia. The main gannet colony at Crater Bay already has a few hundred rejuvenated residents after a literal “empty nest syndrome” over winter! The fur seals remain out at the Island with plenty to eat. We see at least a dozen on the club-rocks each day we go out. Some cute little pups have arrived on the scene in the last few weeks also.
WHITE ISLAND TOURS – GREEN GLOBE CERTIFIED!!!
White Island Tours has achieved Green Globe Certification – the highest level of the ‘Green Globe’ programme.
Green Globe is a certification system that responds directly to the major environmental problems facing the planet, including the greenhouse effect, over-use of freshwater resources, destruction of biodiversity, production of solid and biological waste and social issues.
To attain Certification, White Island Tours firstly had to successfully benchmark against a number of key environmental performance areas including water usage, waste management and energy efficiency. White Island Tours then chose to proceed to the final and highest level of the Green Globe Program - Certification. This process involved a rigorous onsite assessment conducted by a Green Globe accredited third party auditor.
Tim Burgess, General Manager of Tourism Bay of Plenty congratulates the company on their achievement. “Sustainability is a hot topic in the tourism industry at present but White Island Tours are actually walking the walk. Good on the team at White Island Tours who continue to be industry leaders in everything they do.”
“I am thrilled to see the staff at White Island Tours achieve Certified status.” adds Chris Tobias, Development Manager for Green Globe New Zealand. “They have put forward a great effort and worked successfully to ensure their operations function with sustainability in mind. It is good to see such a successful business take responsibility for their impacts and commit to continual improvement. With the efforts they have taken, they have defined themselves as leaders in the industry.”
Visit www.greenglobenz.com
WHITE ISLAND TOURS – FINALIST IN THE 2007 NEW ZEALAND TOURISM AWARDS!!
White Island Tours has been selected as a finalist in the ‘Attraction’ category in the New Zealand Tourism Awards!
Winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner held at the end of August…
JULY 2007
Crater Lake
White Island’s crater-lake is on the rise again! The lake reached a very low point in April and has since been rapidly increasing - we estimate it to be currently rising approximately ½ metre a week. The steam that is being released from the vents in the crater floor (beneath the lake) is condensing faster than the lake is evaporating, causing the lake to rise. The changes over the last few months have been fascinating with a variety of green and yellow colors in the lake. While viewing the crater last week we heard a loud boom and a rumbling noise which seemed to come from the far side of the main crater, followed by a big puff of steam. The scientists at GNS have put it down to a small steam explosion in the crater-lake.
Evolving landscape…
We have had quite a bit of rain over the last month and many of the streams and watercourses have small steady flows. Small ponds and puddles have formed in the low areas. The natural environment is enhanced with rain - footprints are washed away and it seems as though no-one has walked there before. There are a few small fresh landslides in the main crater area, around the lake.
Fur Seals - living the good life at club rocks!
White Island is currently home to 150-200 New Zealand Fur Seals! They gather at various locations around the island, sunbathing on the rocks when they’re not indulging in the bountiful food supply around White Island! Club Rocks seems to be the favourite seal resort in the area and provides great photo and viewing opportunities for the passengers before or after their island tour.
We have been lucky enough to spend time with Orca too, during the last month, and the common dolphin (brave souls!) are still appearing from time to time, as well. Albatross and Mollymawke have also been spending a lot of time out on the water during the last few weeks.
Pukekohe High – Hot and Steamy at White Island!
We had a group of students from Pukekohe High School out at White Island on June the 13th as part of their studies. They recorded PH levels and temperatures of the stream water and ‘sulphur’ fumaroles during their exploration. We loved their ‘Hot and Steamy’ White Island shirts which were designed by Emma-Jane Lacy, one of the students. The team of young scientists were a pleasure to have on-board!
