The White Islands

There are many islands around the world called White Island. Several of these have large expanses of white sandy beaches, which may begin to explain the origin of their names.

The White Island pictured right is located off shore in the volcanic island of Camiguin in the Philippines. The island has no trees or shelter and is simply a large C shaped isand of sand accessed by boat from Camiguin. The island which attrats thousands of tourists each year disappears each high tide, and is in danger of disappearing completely due to the rising sea levels.

Closer to home, White Island is one of the lesser of the Scilly Isles. This uninhabited island is joined by a tidal causeway to St Martins, the northernmost of the populated Scilly Isles.

Travel to New Zealand to see a spectacular White Island, a privately owned volcanic island. The island is roughly circular, about two km in diameter,  rising to a height of 321m above sea level. Declared a private scenic reserve in 1953, visitors cannot land without permission, remove or disturb any wildlife and must leave only their footprints. Weather permitting, a six hour day trip can be taken to the island aboard luxury motor launch from Whakatane, and helicopter and aeroplane trips are also available from Rotorua, Tauranga and Whakatane. The last eruption of the volcano occurred in 2000.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 7:25 am and is filed under New England News. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.