1956: White Island Expedition
January 19, 2021
By AHNZ
On 30 January, 1956, an earthquake radiated out of White Island. Caused, it’s safe to assume, by another of its many volcanic eruptions.
The resulting quake was detected from the Waikato and Auckland too¹. Based on my inability to find any reporting it seems nobody was hurt and no damage worth mentioning. Except, for one thing.
Mushroom Rock at Ranfurly Bay, Whangaroa, 413km away from White Island, toppled over since this image (left) was taken. According to local lore, it must have been that 1956 quake that finished off what erosion had begun.
“Wonder if it still stands?”
“No, fell around 1956.”
“My father in law grew up at Kaeo and told us an earthquake made this fall over. Anyone know if that is true?”
“Yeah I think it is. I remember the same story”- OLD NORTH AUCKLAND / NORTHLAND; Facebook group (2019)
There would have been many more Mushroom Rocks in earlier times. Whangaroa must have been an interesting and magical harbour for the whalers who used to make port there.
An interesting thing about the reaction to White Island’s 1956 eruption was that scientific explorers were drawn to it rather than repelled. When White Island blew on 9 December 2019, killing 22, it was placed off-limits along with a Maori rahui being placed.
“A mere 50 km offshore from Whakatāne, no visit to the Bay of Plenty is complete without a trip to this incredible place.”- Whakatane.com
Nobody is permitted to visit White Island now at all, and tourism is probably several change-of-governments away. Yet, within 30 days of the 1956 eruption a team of 9 DSIR scientists didn’t just visit, they lived on the island. Between the 1st and 9th March 1956 the team sampled the lava and frisked White for radioactivity before safely returning home. Granted, nobody died in 1956, but I think it’s a sign of a more adventurous post-war New Zealand.
This DSIR team would still be running on the inertia of a recently wrapped up Mt Everest Dignity Culture (c.1947-1952) marked by exciting adventure and civilising achievements. It wasn’t in their hearts to be ‘fraidy cats.
—
1 Downes (2014); Wiki
Ref. White Island expedition (1956): a summary of the work; NIWA
Image ref. E-Library NZ; Facebook
Ref. also 1899: Ranfurly Bay
Note: Not just volcanoes, New Zealanders have historically risked their lives to bring back their mates and even their dead from mines too. For example, Strongman (1967) whereas on the other hand Pike River (2010) was treated like White Island (2019) in that The State actively crushed that old spirit of risking our lives for one another.
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