Ongoing ash emissions from White Island volcano impact local airspace, New Zealand

GNS Science confirmed that near-continuous emission of steam, gas, and minor volcanic ash was observed rising from the volcano’s active vent during recent observations and gas flights. Due to this ongoing volcanic activity, the Volcanic Alert Level remains at Level 3 and the Aviation Color Code at Orange.

Aerial observations and satellite analysis on May 6 showed the ongoing release of ash within the steam and gas plume. Depending on meteorological conditions, the plume appeared as either a vertical column or a trailing haze visible from the Bay of Plenty coast and from regional webcams located in Whakatāne and Te Kaha.

“Local weather conditions have a significant impact on how the activity appears when viewed from the Bay of Plenty coast,” GeoNet Duty Volcanologist Oliver Lamb noted.

Under calm conditions, the volcanic plume can rise to 300–600 m (1 000–2 000 feet) above the volcano, but as the wind speed increases, the plume height decreases, and a long hazy plume can be seen trailing off downwind for tens of kilometers. Despite the visibility of the ash plume, only minor ash fall has been noted on or near the island itself.

The Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) has issued multiple advisories related to the airborne volcanic plume. On the evening of May 11, four Air New Zealand flights into Tauranga were cancelled due to ash in the airspace. Two further flights were cancelled on the morning of May 12 due to aircraft being out of position from the previous night’s disruptions.

“It is important to note that while the volcanic plume has at times travelled above the Bay of Plenty coast, the amount of ash it carries remains very small and is not expected to fall back on the mainland; minor ash fall is observed on or near the island itself,” Lamb said.

Thermal and gas monitoring indicates that vent temperatures have increased to approximately 460°C (860°F), still below the highs of 650°C (1 202°F) recorded in 2020 and 2021. Nighttime infrared imagery has detected a minor glow at the vent, consistent with elevated temperatures. However, the glow is not visible to the naked eye.

Data from gas flights and satellite measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions show that gas output remains stable. The active vent’s morphology has remained largely unchanged, and recent observation flights have revealed fewer new impact craters, suggesting a decline in explosive activity.

Whakaari/White Island is an active stratovolcano situated about 48 km (30 miles) off the northeastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island, within the Bay of Plenty. It is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, with a long history of eruptions, including a prolonged eruptive phase from 1975 to 2000. More recent activity includes minor eruptions in 2012, 2013, and 2016.

The most impactful recent eruption at White Island occurred on December 9, 2019, when a sudden phreatic eruption resulted in 22 fatalities and 25 injuries among the 47 people on the island. The eruption produced an ash plume that rose approximately 3.7 km (2.3 miles) and was classified as VEI 2.

Following the eruption, legal actions were initiated under New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act against multiple parties, including the island’s owners Whakaari Management Limited, tour operators, and individual company directors. In October 2023, Whakaari Management Limited was convicted on one charge of failing to ensure the health and safety of visitors.

However, in February 2025, the High Court overturned the conviction, ruling that ownership alone did not constitute operational responsibility for visitor safety, thereby absolving the company of legal liability.