Today we went on a trip to White Island which is the only active volcano in New Zealand.
The trip entailed first of all a boat trip of an hour and a half and then in order to reach the island there was a trip in a "tender". Well actually it was an inflatable dingy.
This was quite a strange experience as before we were allowed to leave the boat there was a safety briefing where we were issued with hard hats and gas masks.
Once ashore it was quite a strange experience - it was as if you were on another planet. The terrain was like what you would imagine the moon would be like but add to that the constant steam blowing out from the ground coupled with the smell, which was the reason for having the gas masks.
For more pictures see my photo gallery
Tomorrow we move on to Hicks Bay - the most easterly point in New Zealand but I am not sure about the Internet connection there so it may be a few days before my next post