October 2006 Eruption

Tavurvur Erupting

Caught of a few shots of the beginning of a major eruption today. Rabaul town was evacuated and a state of emergency declared.

We were marvelling @ 8:30 this morning how spectacular it looked, 'wow how pretty'.
About an hour or two later when the ash had started to block the sun and continued to darken the sky, even over here in Kokopo where we are, more than 30 Km's away, our mood started to change.
I don't have a shot of the ash-darkened sky that set in by about 11 am, but is was eerie.
At the same time the eruption intensified and the house was soon being buffeted by one bunker-busting sonic boom after another. I don't know that we actually had any "earthquakes" measurable in Darwin, but as the whole house shook and the front door was rattling and banging, somehow you don't really care about that. Meanwhile Natalie and Isabella are playing contentedly with an old family friend's little girl who just happened to show up today to visit. Natalie's only sign of concern was when she opened the front door and said 'Mum it's very dusty out here', as if someone had forgotten to do the housekeeping. Finally at about 5 this afternoon after several nervous hours in the house here, the volcano quieted down,

Mum, Ely, myself, Natalie and Isabella are all fine here in the house on the Kenabot hill above Kokopo town. We now have a few cms of ash cover on the lawn here and there is ash dust on everything. A fairly tense day, there's something about the rumbling and booming and exploding sound of a volcano that gives a sense of impending doom even though we know that we're well out of harm's way here.

Funny story, where's Paul? Camping. Oliver and Paul had planned a camping trip with Eliot this weekend Talili Isl. on the north coast, far out of reach of the ash, and so the first they knew was the ash plume behind them as they sped down the coast in the boat.
We have been in touch regularly on the Sat. phone Oliver got recently.
We have had phone calls from Jurgen Ruh in Siberia (I have no idea), with regular checks, actually being more informative than the local radio.
Greg was quick to check in, after hearing from the PNG grapevine in Cairns, wishing he was here to capture it on camera.
Julian was also calling regularly to get updates.

No reports of damage or major trouble to date. Believe only ash cover to be concerned with.

Well, just another weekend in Rabaul.

Nathan, Ely and Ione,
volcano storm troopers
over and out