Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Whakaari/White Island survivor's message of thanks

By Kim Moodie
Reporter, NZ Herald·NZ Herald·
9 Feb, 2020 05:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Whakaari / White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn has thanked everyone for their continued support during her recovery. Photo / Supplied

Whakaari / White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn has thanked everyone for their continued support during her recovery. Photo / Supplied

She's endured blood clots, infections, skin grafts and full thickness burns to around 45 per cent of her body since an active volcano erupted underneath her.

But Whakaari/White Island survivor Kelsey Waghorn says she's "doing really well".

The 25-year-old doesn't remember much from her time in ICU after the disaster, which has killed 21 people - some of them colleagues from White Island tours.

Two days after Whakaari spewed steam and toxic gas from its depths, she had her arms, hands and a small portion of her stomach grafted.

"My legs, lower back and some touch ups on my upper arms had their donor/cadaver skin removed and were grafted on December 27th," Waghorn wrote in an update on her Givealittle page.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As this involved harvesting skin from her back and butt a second time, as well as some strips from her upper thighs, Waghorn wrote the procedures were uncomfortable, "to put it gently".

"By this stage, I'd been [painfully] upright only twice between these two graftings with a lot of assistance from my beautiful physio, family and a handful of nurses."

White Island as it erupted on December 9. Photo / Supplied
White Island as it erupted on December 9. Photo / Supplied

The marine scientist has undergone more than a dozen surgeries since the volcano blew.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"So there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into getting me where I am today after my final graftings."

Waghorn remains in hospital two months on from the volcanic blast.

"Monday marks 9 weeks since Whakaari decided she would clear her throat. 9 weeks since I received full thickness burns to about 45% of my body. 9 weeks since I lost work colleagues and good friends."

Fellow guides Tipene Maangi and Hayden Marshall-Inman were killed by the eruption.

Discover more

New Zealand

White Island: Survivors share photo just before eruption

09 Feb 07:33 PM
New Zealand

White Island tragedy: Survivor's son will never take love for granted

14 Feb 04:00 PM
New Zealand

White Island 'legacy': Family's $100,000 drive to help Kiwi kids

29 Feb 04:00 PM
New Zealand

White Island: Funeral on hold for teen seven months after tragedy

18 Jul 05:00 PM

Nineteen-year-old tour guide Jake Milbank remains in Middlemore Hospital, suffering burns to 80 per cent of his body.

An aerial view of Whakaari / White Island after the deadly eruption which claimed the lives of 21 people. Bay of Plenty Times photograph / George Novak
An aerial view of Whakaari / White Island after the deadly eruption which claimed the lives of 21 people. Bay of Plenty Times photograph / George Novak

"I am fairly mobile now, albeit wobbly and minus some strength," Waghorn wrote.

"I am slowly regaining the use of both of my hands - my right is worse than my left. But I'm working on that everyday."

READ MORE:
• White Island eruption: Burned tour guides out of coma, breathing on own
• White Island tour guide survivor thanks all her well-wishers from hospital
• Premium - White Island tragedy a month on: Tour guide's heroics and generosity will never be forgotten
• Premium - White Island tragedy a month on: Our brave Kiwi guides aren't giving up

Her heart was racing up to 157 beats per minute at one point of her five-day coma.

Nowadays, it still sits around 100 beats per minute, Waghorn wrote.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But she's recovering, quickly.

"Everything is healing twice as fast as anyone predicted, and although I have my moments, I am proud of the huge progress I have made."

"I'm covered in scars and relocated skin, and that's okay with me."

She thanked everyone who had reached out to her and her family or contributed to her Givealittle page, where donations have soared to over $100,000.

"Once again, thank you thank you thank you to everyone for their donations, their kind words, their time and hard work.

"I wouldn't be here without you."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Stop this madness': Police promise crackdown on illegal dirt bikers

10 Jul 03:52 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Midweek windfall: Winning Lotto ticket sold in Rotorua

10 Jul 02:37 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warning likely for BoP – MetService

10 Jul 12:40 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Stop this madness': Police promise crackdown on illegal dirt bikers

'Stop this madness': Police promise crackdown on illegal dirt bikers

10 Jul 03:52 AM

Several parks and reserves have been vandalised in recent weeks.

Midweek windfall: Winning Lotto ticket sold in Rotorua

Midweek windfall: Winning Lotto ticket sold in Rotorua

10 Jul 02:37 AM
Heavy rain warning likely for BoP – MetService

Heavy rain warning likely for BoP – MetService

10 Jul 12:40 AM
Rotorua council takes back control of parking services

Rotorua council takes back control of parking services

09 Jul 09:40 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP