On Monday 9 December 2019, a total of 47 people were on Te Puia o Whakaari [White Island] at the time of two eruptions from 2.11pm which saw a plume of ash rise 3.6km above the vent. The Hollander family were on board the Royal Caribbean's cruise ship ‘Ovation of the Seas’ which arrived at the Port of Tauranga just after 7am on 9 December. They were visiting Whakaari with White Island Tours when the volcano erupted. Teenage brothers Berend ‘Ben’ and Matthew Hollander died in hospital on 11 December. Their parents Martin and Barbara were confirmed dead the following week. Ben and Matthew were pupils at Sydney’s Knox Grammar School. The family is originally from Chicago in the USA, although Martin was born in Sydney. They moved to Australia six years ago.

Tributes:

Knox Grammar School principal Scott James said Ben, who was a Year 10 student, had a great love for the outdoors and was a compassionate, enthusiastic student, James said. "Ben's engaging smile and quirky sense of humour made him a good mate to his close group of friends and a welcome member to every classroom."Source: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/405340/whakaari-white-island-er...