Home > New Zealand > Bay of Plenty > Whakatāne District > White Island Burial Site

White Island Burial Site

Memorials	:	2
Location	:	Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Website	:	www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/the-1914-white-island-whakaari-mining-disaster
Coordinate	:	-37.5241910, 177.1863520
Description	:	There is no cemetery on White Island but there are people buried there, from a tragic eruption in 1914. White Island or Whakaari, as it is called in Maori (meaning to uplift or expose to view), is an active volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty, off the coast from Whakatane and Opotiki, East Coast, North Island. It is cherished by the Ngati Awa and Te Whakatohea tribes, who call it the "Dramatic Island" and have legends of fiery dragons associated with it. It is also well known to all New Zealanders as being a dangerous but very interesting... Read More	There is no cemetery on White Island but there are people buried there, from a tragic eruption in 1914. White Island or Whakaari, as it is called in Maori (meaning to uplift or expose to view), is an active volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty, off the coast from Whakatane and Opotiki, East Coast, North Island. It is cherished by the Ngati Awa and Te Whakatohea tribes, who call it the "Dramatic Island" and have legends of fiery dragons associated with it. It is also well known to all New Zealanders as being a dangerous but very interesting place, and tourism has now taken over where mining left off. It is possible to fly there by helicopter and walk on the island under guide. It looks very dramatic with yellow, orange and other coloured deposits, but the place stinks of "rotten eggs"...sulphur! The "island" is most famous of course, for it's volcanic Sulphur deposits. It also has Gypsum deposits (used for making Plaster of Paris etc). It has always been active and every-so-often will erupt with acidic steam, smoke, ash, sometimes huge rocks and often lahars (mudslides). The island itself is just the tip of a huge underwater volcano which rises from the seabed like an underwater Mt Everest. In the early 20th Century, an attempt was made to mine sulphur and gypsum there, with men living on the island. The sulphur was of course, used to make Sulphuric Acid and also was used to manufacture Superphosphate fertilizer powder which is constantly used in N.Z. agriculture. There was mining equipment there, not to mention buildings and the 10 or 12 men working for the N.Z. Sulphur Company. On 10th September 1914, the island erupted and a huge hunk fell off the inside of the crater as a lahar and buried all who were working there, including the Company Manager, Mr A.J.C. McKim. As well as the men, several pet cats were also killed, the only living survivor being one very hungry cat, "Peter the Great" who was retrieved 3 weeks later. Repeated searches were made of course, but there was never any sign of men. There are still some remains of wrecked mining equipment lying around but the acid atmosphere is always eating away at it. Wreckage was also later found on the mainland beach. This took the form of sulphur encrusted barrels, staves, pieces of barrel heads, hundreds of bits of litter, pieces of wood, tram sleepers showing a gauge of 1 ft 6" as used on the island, as well as the remains of several boats. "The scarcity of signs of house furniture suggests that possibly the greater portion of the living quarters was simply buried where it stood and the men with it." See PapersPast website, "White Island Disaster", Otago Witness, 30 Sept, 1914. It appears no one was totally sure just how many men were actually out there, certainly 10 but possibly 12.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is White Island Burial Site?
White Island Burial Site is located at Whakatāne District ,Bay of Plenty ,New Zealand.
White Island Burial Site cemetery's updated grave count on graveviews.com?
2 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the White Island Burial Site?
Latitude: -37.5241910
Longitude: 177.1863520

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Ōpihi Whanaunga Kore Urupā
Whakatāne, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9436107, 177.0046426

2. Te Kaha Māori Cemetery
Te Kaha, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7262100, 177.6930600

3. Howie Family Cemetery
Te Kaha, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7171680, 177.7103060

4. Domain Road Cemetery
Whakatāne, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9583600, 176.9840800

5. Hillcrest Cemetery
Whakatāne, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9673630, 177.0136840

6. Pupuaruhe Urupā
Whakatāne, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9555600, 176.9624100

7. Maraenui Māori Cemetery
Houpoto, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.8694900, 177.5849900

8. Old Military Cemetery
Ōpōtiki, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.0025964, 177.2851815

9. Opape Urupā
Ōpōtiki, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9746540, 177.4244230

10. Rangiaohia Māori Cemetery
Matatā, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.8905100, 176.7639600

11. Ōpōtiki Lawn Cemetery
Ōpōtiki, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.0180870, 177.2882760

12. Woodlands Cemetery
Ōpōtiki, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.0305569, 177.2635720

13. Awakaponga Cemetery
Matatā, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.9308200, 176.7465100

14. Raukokore Anglican Church Cemetery
Raukokore, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.6389240, 177.8785240

15. Waihau Bay Cemetery
Waihau Bay, Ōpōtiki District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.6194100, 177.9149360

16. Matariu Urupā
Te Teko, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.0390400, 176.8016400

17. St. Thomas's Anglican Churchyard
Maketu, Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7600849, 176.4555692

18. Maketu Cemetery
Maketu, Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7634700, 176.4511500

19. Ruatoki North Māori Cemetery
Ruatoki North, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.1501100, 177.0073300

20. Ngahina Māori Cemetery
Ruatoki North, Whakatāne District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.1736200, 176.9892600

21. Kawerau Cemetery
Kawerau, Kawerau District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -38.0990990, 176.6762150

22. Te Kahika Māori Cemetery
Te Puke, Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7884600, 176.3445600

23. Old Te Puke Cemetery
Te Puke, Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.7884910, 176.3354700

24. Te Puke Cemetery
Te Puke, Western Bay of Plenty District, New Zealand
Coordinate: -37.8054430, 176.3078800

White Island Burial Site

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Memorials:

Nearby Cemetories: