It was the height of the summer cruise season and for many on board the Ovation of the Seas it was the trip of a lifetime.
But on the afternoon of December 9 the dream holiday turned into a deadly nightmare when a group of cruise ship passengers and other day trippers became trapped in the middle of a volcanic eruption.
On Monday Four Corners investigates what the tourists were told, and what they understood about the dangers of visiting New Zealand’s most active volcano.
The program examines whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy, that has left so many dead and others with lifelong traumatic injuries.
