Activity at Whakaari / White Island is dominated by weak-to-moderate steam and gas plumes, as seen on our webcams at Whakatāne and Te Kaha, as well as on satellite imagery. Unlike what we’ve observed since late December when ash was regularly present in the steam and gas plumes, volcanic ash has not been observed during the past week.

Sometimes larger plumes are seen from the Bay of Plenty coast above and downwind of Whakaari, when weather conditions are clear and/or wind strength is lighter. Similarly, activity can change at short notice and produce stronger steam and gas plumes which are seen from the coast.

Without sensors on the island, our monitoring continues to rely on remote cameras, satellite imagery, and periodic observation and gas flights to monitor Whakaari.

Recent activity is consistent with moderate-heightened unrest and the Volcanic Alert Level therefore remains at Level 2. The lack of volcanic ash being emitted from the volcano means that the Aviation Colour Code is now lowered to Yellow. These levels acknowledge the current level of activity, but also reflect the degree of uncertainty about the level of unrest due to the current lack of consistent, usable real-time monitoring data. The level of volcanic activity could escalate back to levels seen in 2024, and the volcano can explosively erupt with little or no warning.

GNS Science’s Volcano Monitoring Group and National Geohazards Monitoring Centre will continue to closely monitor Whakaari / White Island for any changes in activity. We will provide further updates when information becomes available.

Further information about the Volcanic Alert Levels and what they mean can be found here.

For information about the impacts of the steam and gas plume should it reach the coast, follow the advice from:

• Bay of Plenty Emergency Management

• NEMA: What to do during volcanic activity

• Toi Te Ora Public Health: Volcanic Activity

Michael Rosenberg

Duty Volcanologist

Media contact: 021 574541 or media@gns.cri.nz