The brother of a White Island tour guide who perished in last year's eruption wants people to eventually be able to return to touring the volcano.
Hayden Marshall-Inman, a Whakatane tour guide, and Winona Langford, an Australian tourist, were two of the 21 killed when Whakaari/White Island erupted on December 9. Despite extensive search operations, neither of their bodies were ever found and are suspected to have been washed off the island.
Six months on from the tragedy, Marshall-Inman's brother, Mark Inman, told The AM Show things "don't get easier".
"It is those little steps in life you start to cherish. We are going to head out to White [Island] and do a bit of fishing and have a [Steinlager] and say 'cheers' and say hi to not only Hayden, but to Winona, because she is still out there as well," Inman said.
In the aftermath of the disaster, before authorities undertook an operation to recover bodies, Inman pleaded with authorities to let him return to find his brother. That included asking the Prime Minister and Police Minister, who declined the request citing the island's instability.
In the end, Inman said most families got their loved ones back.
"The desired result took a lot longer but we got there in the end and we got six home and those families got their loved ones back," he said.
"That is something we are going to have to live with. That is something the authorities end up having to live with. Full credit to the helicopter pilots who did their utmost best to bring them home."
Worksafe is currently investigating the circumstances around the disaster and Australian victims are reportedly exploring legal action against White Island Tours, but Inman hopes tours eventually return to the island if it is safe.
"We would love the tours to go again. It is not just about the tours, it is about the town and the community. Whakaari brings a lot to Whakatane and the eastern bay. Employment, it brings the tourists in, it just creates so much of a community atmosphere," he said.
"That is what we are built around here in Whakatane. It is not just about a couple of people, it is about the whole community and it is about what Whakaari can do for everyone.
"When you are going on an active volcano, you are going on an active volcano because of the excitement and the thrill and the beauty it holds. Whakaari is a beautiful place and it is majestical and why wouldn't we want to go back on the island."
He said the volcano was a majestic place and it wasn't the Kiwi way to point blame.
