New Zealand > North Island > Central North Island > Bay of Plenty Travel Guides > Natural Attractions

White Island

Be first to recommend
Sign In or Sign Up to
Be first to review
Sign In or Sign Up to

Best For

Sign In or Sign Up to

Contact Us

White Island (or Whakaari as it was named by the Maori before Europeans arrived) is an active volcano and private scenic reserve accessible only by boat and helicopter. The island lies 48 kilometres off New Zealand's Bay of Plenty coastline.

It is unique in that visitors to the island can walk right inside its main crater just above sea level with a minimum of physical effort and without undue risk. This allows you to experience at first hand nature's immense power as gas and steam burst up from far below the Earth's crust.

The surroundings are quite surreal and the scenery spectacular. It is like walking on an active volcanic moonscape with no plants or vegetation inside the crater. The smell of sulphur and the noise of steam emanating from the many fumaroles both large and small makes for an amazing sensory experience.

White Island

Details

Getting There: The trip to and from the island is also memorable. By boat you are where sea and bird life abound and dolphins often swim alongside; or by helicopter where it is possible to see the full grandeur of White Island rising out of the South Pacific Ocean.
Special Features: On the outer slopes of the island are large colonies of the majestic gannet. This beautiful bird nests and rears it's young here. The noise of these "rookeries" takes your attention as you approach the island and their presence is clearly marked like snow on points above the cliff-lined shores.

Ratings & Reviews

To write a review, you must Sign In first.

Location

Getting ThereThe trip to and from the island is also memorable. By boat you are where sea and bird life abound and dolphins often swim alongside; or by helicopter where it is possible to see the full grandeur of White Island rising out of the South Pacific Ocean.