Guiding spirit

When it happened, it was shocking. Whakaari/White Island – the live volcano that had been visited by thousands of tourists, over decades, without serious incident – erupted on December 9 last year. Of the nearly 50 daytrippers who were there that day, 21 were killed by the blast of deadly heat and toxic gases.

As the news broke, the sense of horror was immediate. So, too, was the awe, as we heard stories of almost unbelievable bravery in the face of raw danger.

I was at Three’s that afternoon,