I had a somewhat early start since I had a boat to catch from Whakatane to White Island aka the most active volcano in New Zealand.
The tour was organized by White Island Tours. It took about 1.5 hours for the boat to reach White Island in the quite calm seas.
There were still some corroded remains of an old sulfur mining operation visible.
Once everyone had their hard hats and gas masks we started the hike towards the main crater.
You could really smell and taste the sulfur in the air and feel the heat coming off the ground.
The main crater. At this point the provided hard candies proved quite useful (you suck on them, that increases saliva flow, which helps with the irritating effects of sulfur).
Viewpoint at the center of the island.
Surprisingly there were some small signs of life visible here and there despite the extreme conditions.
We came across some dolphins on the way back.
There was quite a thunderstorm brewing back on land.
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