Whakaari - White Island Flight

Friends of the skies,

this is the last post before I started working in Hobbiton. And there's not much to say about this one, but the pictures are all the more special. I took a flight in a Cessna to New Zealand's only active volcanic island. What can I say, I felt in this plane like I was lying at home in my bed playing PlayStation (especially Far Cry) because sitting in this plane at the other end of the world was truly something surreal. To be honest, I won't be doing that again anytime soon, because flying here reminded me a bit of the sea, and I got a little 'air-sick'. Not bad, but enough that I had to focus on the horizon. Well, maybe I'll stick to the imaginary flying with Cessna after all. Plus, I can also just jump out of the plane when I want to be on the ground. ;)

Anyway, Whakaari, or White Island, is the last active volcanic island in New Zealand, and the last eruption was in 2019 with devastating consequences and several fatalities - one of the largest volcanic disasters in New Zealand. Since then, it has been forbidden to access the island, and the wreckage of a rescue helicopter and the remnants of the old mining station and the dock are still visible on the island. A truly surreal place, fitting my feeling of being in a video game. The island is still at a warning level of 4/5, which means that there is still considerable activity occurring there. And this is evidenced by the smoke that rises from the craters and the mud pools around the clock. From the airplane, I could clearly see the bubbling and I must honestly say that I still had the greatest respect for this activity, as the warning level 4 was also declared back then before the eruption.

I survived it safe and sound, and it was a truly amazing experience here in New Zealand, and now I will show you the pictures of this trip (in the truest sense of the word):

After this stop, I began another chapter in New Zealand and worked in Hobbiton. There will be a consolidated post about Hobbiton, and all my other adventures I experienced during my days off.

Look forward to it and until then feel hugged!

Your Britta