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

White Island eruption: Burned tour guides out of coma, breathing on own

NZ Herald
19 Dec, 2019 08:35 PM2 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

Focus: The faces of those confirmed to have died in or after the Whakaari / White Island eruption. Video / Katee Shanks

Two New Zealand guides critically injured in the White Island eruption are making progress, albeit subtle, as they recover in hospital.

Kelsey Waghorn and Jake Milbank were among the many injured and hospitalised after the Whakaari/White Island eruption on Monday, December 9.

Kelsey Waghorn, a White Island tour guide, is now out of her induced coma but she remains in a critical condition after suffering burns to 45 per cent of her body.
Kelsey Waghorn, a White Island tour guide, is now out of her induced coma but she remains in a critical condition after suffering burns to 45 per cent of her body.

Waghorn has been a tour guide with White Island tours for five years and suffered burns to 45 per cent of her body.

Waghorn's sister, Rachel Christie, has posted that her sister is now out of a coma but remains in a critical condition in intensive care.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

READ MORE:
• White Island eruption: Sydney teen faces finding out his entire immediate family has died
• White Island eruption: Two missing bodies likely washed out to sea
• White Island eruption: New light shed on what caused deadly blow
• White Island tragedy: Mother and daughter die in bitter twist of fate

Jake Milbank, a guide on White Island when the volcano erupted, is reportedly now breathing on his own as he recovers from burns to 80 per cent of his body.
Jake Milbank, a guide on White Island when the volcano erupted, is reportedly now breathing on his own as he recovers from burns to 80 per cent of his body.

"She is sedated and still having surgery every couple of days," she posted yesterday. "She has had her family beside her throughout."

She was having surgeries every two to three days for skin grafts and constant monitoring of her burns, according to her givealittle page.

The page states she is in a critical condition and in an induced coma after sustaining full-thickness burns to 45 per cent of her body.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Waghorn is a passionate marine biologist, Christie said, and loved "every second spent out on the ocean doing the job she loves".

Milbank, who turned 19 on the day of the eruption, has burns to 80 per cent of his body. He is now reportedly breathing on his own.

About 20 per cent of Milbank's burns are classified as "serious", and he remains at high risk of infection.

Funds raised on his givealittle page will be used to help the family to remain at his bedside and provide Milbank with what he needs for his recovery.

Discover more

New Zealand

White Island maritime exclusion zone to be lifted, rāhui remains

19 Dec 04:57 AM
New Zealand

Memorial held for White island tour guide while search continues for his body

19 Dec 10:56 PM
Whakaari/White Island shortly after the eruption on December 9. Photo / File
Whakaari/White Island shortly after the eruption on December 9. Photo / File

He is recovering in Middlemore Hospital's intensive care unit.

• People who wish to donate to Waghorn can head here, while anyone wanting to give funds to Milbank's page can click here.

Police divers get ready to go in the water around Whakaari/White Island last week. Photo / File
Police divers get ready to go in the water around Whakaari/White Island last week. Photo / File
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM

The team comprises five constables and one sergeant, patrolling on foot.

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Armed police block Rotorua street

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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