A monthly blog about interesting items in our collection
The recent release of The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari reminded us of the treasures in our archive relating to the history of Whakaari (White Island). In particular, the recently digitised Papers of Bernard Sladden (Ms 33), which includes his collection of letters, notes, newspaper clippings and photographs about the island from 1906 through to the early 1960s.
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| Page from Bernard Sladden's Album of photographs relating to Whakaari (White Island), c.1912-c. 1930. Tauranga City Libraries Ams 33/4/5. |
Sulfur mining on New Zealand's most active volcano began in the late 19th century, but stopped in 1914 when part of the crater wall collapsed, killing all 10 miners on the island. The mining company's cat, "Peter the Great" survived. Mining recommenced in the 1920s, with sulfur used in the manufacture of fertiliser, but stopped in the 1930s when this proved uneconomic.
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| Booklet titled "Proof!", c. 1927. Tauranga City Libraries Ms 33/4/1/3 |
The records relating to Whakaari (White Island), 1906-c. 1961 (Ms 33/4) contains data on the seismic activity on the island, particularly in the letters dated 1926-1930 that Bernard Sladden salvaged from the island.
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| Letter from A. A. Mercer, director of White Island Agricultural Chemical Co. Ltd., to C. E. Adams, government seismologist, 19 Apr 1926. Tauranga City Libraries Ms 33/4/2/2 |
We hope these digitised letters (along with the notes, ephemera, sketches, maps, photographs and clippings contained within this collection) can be used by future researchers to provide more insight into the rich history of Whakaari.
This collection is supplemented by content from other collections in our archive we continue to digitise add to Pae Korokī, including the Bernard Sladden Photographic Collection and 1960s photographs from the Gifford Cross collection.
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| Hand-drawn map of Whakaari (White Island). Tauranga City Libraries Ms 33/4/4/5 |
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| White Island aerial view with steam plume (black and white lantern slides). Tauranga City Libraries Photo bs-152 and Photo bs-154 |
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| White Island aerial view of factory, January 1965. Tauranga City Libraries Photo gcc-8335 |
Sources:
- GeoNet, Volcano: Whakaari/White Island, accessed 23 December 2022, https://www.geonet.org.nz/about/volcano/whiteisland
- Britannica Library, s.v. Whakaari/White Island, accessed 23 December 2022, https://library-ebonline-co-nz.eztauranga.kotui.org.nz/levels/adults/article/WhakaariWhite-Island/76828
- Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Eruption on Whakaari (White Island) kills 10 people, accessed 23 December, https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/eruption-whakaari-white-island-kills-10-people
- Grenfell, Hugh, The 1914 White Island/Whakaari mining disaster. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira, accessed 23 December 2022, www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/the-1914-white-island-whakaari-mining-disaster
This archival collection has been digitised and is available to view on Pae Korokī. For more information about this and other items in our collection, visit Pae Korokī or email the Heritage & Research Team: Research@tauranga.govt.nz
