Throughout her geology studies, Lillani Hopkins often joked about how lucky it would be to see a volcano erupt.
But after she and her father Geoff witnessed the lethal eruption of Whakaari/White Island in 2019 – and tended to some of the most critically burned – the 24-year-old concedes now it’s something “no one should ever see”.
Three years on and reflecting how the tragedy has changed her life, Lillani continues to come to terms with what has happened by educating others. After the disaster, she decided to qualify as a teacher and educate kids about volcanoes.
“Sometimes I will go a day without thinking about it,” the intermediate school teacher tells. “Some days I think about
