Prayer for Whakaari/White Island

God, we are all tourists,
going somewhere new,
hoping to learn
from other people, other landscapes.

And so we pray for those who came
to the Land of the Long White Cloud,
to listen to tangata whenua,
to honor haka, to hike,
to scan sky and land for birds,
and to walk the amazing volcanos,
who died in this eruption.

Tenderly hold those who grieve,
those who worry about loved ones
who are still missing,
and rescue workers, still waiting
for an opportunity to return.

God of the mountains and of the depths,
rest your cloak on your children.
amen

Ko ngā raorao katoa ka whakarewaina ake, ko ngā maunga katoa me ngā pukepuke, ka whakapāpakutia iho: ko ngā wāhi kōpikopiko ka meinga kia tika, ko ngā wāhi taratara kia papatairite (PT Ihaia 40:4). / Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)