'This will stay with me forever' - White Island tour guide marks three months since volcano eruption

March 9, 2020

Whakaari/White Island tour guide Kelsey Waghorn has today marked three months since the fatal December 9 eruption, paying tribute to those who lost their lives in a social media post.

Ms Waghorn had been a guide on the island for five years and was there when it erupted. She suffered serious burns to 45 per cent of her body and is still recovering in hospital. 

In an Instagram post, Ms Waghorn shared an eerie image of herself on the island prior to the eruption. The caption marked three months since her "life was turned upside down". 

"It has been the hardest three months of my life, but I have learnt how stubborn, strong and willing my mind and body are. Of course, there have been many moments where neither were any of the above, but they have been moments. Not days. Not weeks. For that, I am grateful," Ms Waghorn wrote. 

She also paid tribute to her workmate Hayden Marshall-Inman, whose body was never recovered from the island, despite extensive search efforts by police and the New Zealand Defence Force following the eruption. 

"Today marks three months since I lost a good friend, colleague, and many others lost their loved ones. This will stay with me forever," said Ms Waghorn.

"I have been inundated with love - from family, friends, strangers, and other burns survivors, who have reached out to share their stories, and offer support and advice. Your kind words mean everything to me. I am absolutely humbled."

Ms Waghorn was initially placed in an induced coma after sustaining full thickness burns to 45 per cent of her body. She has had to undergo countless surgeries for skin grafts and has openly shared her recovery journey online. 

"Today marks the longest time I have spent on land in five years. I miss the salt air, the thrill of spotting marine life, those days where the sea is like glass (and those days where the horizon doesn’t exist), trying to get a comb through my hair after a swim, and even gazing in awe into the belly of Whakaari," wrote Ms Waghorn. 

"December 9th feels as though it was three seconds ago, and three years ago. I'm still getting my head around it."

Twenty-one people died after the eruption, with others, including Ms Waghorn, still being treated for their injuries in hospital.

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