White Island

You can't imagine how excited I was when I received the message last night that the White Island tour would take place.

So much planning, so much money - but in the end it was more than worth it!
The ship was supposed to leave at 8 o'clock, check-in started at 6:30. Early wake-up was called for, but with a little caffeine, I was wide awake and excited.
We were kindly welcomed in the office and had to read the safety instructions first. It was quite interesting to read 'the fine print' for once, because some things were a bit exaggerated (do people really put their hands in boiling water from which yellow steam rises?).
Our ship was the 'Predator', the fastest boat in the fleet. I guess our group consisted of 30 people, many Germans and Dutch. In addition, 4 crew members and our skipper, Dave.
A little earlier we finally set off. It took us just under 1.5 hours to reach the island, which was 49km away.
On the way we passed Whale Island, an extinct volcano and now a nature reserve. Countless bird species have their retreat there, including our dear kiwi. There are also tours to the island, also with a hot water beach, but something comparable can also be found in other places - White Island is unique.
White Island is New Zealand's only active marine volcano. What now sounds super exciting is actually not so spectacular in the end: on a scale of 0-5 (0 being an extinct volcano and 5 being a lava-spewing monster), the volcano is a solid 1. There's not much more in New Zealand - too bad ;)
The highest point of the island rises 321m above sea level and the island has an area of ​​2.4 by 2km.
The last 'eruption' occurred only recently (a few years ago), but that only meant heavy smoke and some ash.
In the early 20th century, sulfur was mined on the island and the miners lived on the island. However, during an eruption, all 12 of them died, only the cat survived. The descendants of this cat were then sold as lucky charms.
What I wanted to say though: even though the volcano seems quite nice, you shouldn't underestimate it too much.

The closer we came to the island, the more excited we became. The more crowded it also got on the railing, because everyone wanted to have a perfect photo.
Ten minutes before arrival, life jackets, helmets and gas masks were distributed. No joke.
We needed the life jackets because we transferred from the ship to the island by inflatable boat and as soon as we arrived, it quickly became clear why we would need the gas masks.
I have already mentioned sulfur - it's steaming and smoking everywhere on the island and that doesn't necessarily have to be water vapor. In most cases, other elements are mixed in, and it stinks and irritates the throat. You didn't always have to wear the mask, but as soon as we got close to the steam - put it on!
The helmets were exaggerated though...

What can I say? It was simply impressive! I don't want to come up with phrases like 'another world', but it did feel somewhat surreal.
We were guided around the island for about 2 hours.
We passed countless fumaroles (the official name for the steaming holes in the ground), whose steam can reach temperatures of up to 900°C and sulfur chimneys.
A small highlight among all the highlights was the crater with the lake. The water is not always there and also changes its color (from green to pink - everything is included!). The pH level is, hold on tight, minus 0.6.
Minus 0.6!!!! I had no idea that was possible...
We also passed the former sulfur factory, but that was only briefly at the end. After all, we had come for the island, the volcano, and the sulfur fumes. And we got a lot of those.
Our guides let us know that the fumes can bleach clothing and their shoes only last for 2 months - after that, they are destroyed.
Oh my. But after 2 hours, nothing happens yet...
Back on the boat, we were all already happy, but on the way back it got even better:
A huge school of dolphins appeared next to us! There must have been around 30 animals and they were having a lot of fun. They swam with the boat, jumped out of the water, and accompanied us. We all crowded at the railing and were delighted. Our skipper also understood and stayed in the area for a few minutes.
Beautiful!
On the rest of the way back, half of the group fell asleep and the other half smiled blissfully (I belonged to the latter).
In the early afternoon, we finally reached Whakatane, satisfied and full of great experiences and pictures.
A very nice day!