On December 9, 2019, 47 unsuspecting tourists and tour guides were on Whakaari / White Island when the active volcano erupted.
Closest to the crater was the Browitt family; daughters Stephanie and Krystal and father Paul.
At first, they didn't realise what was happening and took photos of the smoke coming out of the volcano. A few seconds later, a tour guide screamed.
"Run!"
Watch: Stephanie Browitt removes her compression mask on 60 Minutes. Post continues below video.
"You could hear the sound of all the rocks hitting the ground and people just screaming because no one knew what to do," Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes in 2020.
"Everyone was just petrified. And then when it hit, it was just darkness. I didn't think I would survive. I thought I was going to die. It was just rolling me over. The force was just that strong, that my whole body was being shoved and pushed and rolled onto the ground. I was just hitting things while getting burnt at the same time.
"It was the most terrifying moment of my life. The ground was burning hot. And I could tell I was burnt really badly. I could see my hand and I could see nails hanging off and skin loose."
Now, over two years on from the incident that left her suffering burns to 70 per cent of her body, Stephanie has finally been able to remove her compression face mask for the first time.
Appearing on 60 Minutes on Sunday, the 26-year-old said that being able to remove her mask felt "emotional and scary".
"It is actually quite daunting as much as it is exciting," she shared.
Looking in the mirror now, Stephanie says she sees "a person who has gone through so much more than I ever expected to go through" in life.
"I see a very tormented person," she said.
"I definitely think I'm tougher than I ever thought I would be... I think I have learnt that the fight for survival is a real thing. I was fighting every day to survive, just to get back to myself... I never knew I had this in me."
After the incident, Stephanie said she had to completely "start from scratch".
"I thought my future was pretty bleak, and it was quite scary," she said.
"I had to start from scratch like a baby. Sitting upright, getting out of bed, taking my first few steps, even feeding myself – I had to relearn all of those skills from scratch and they didn’t come easy at all. It was incredibly difficult."
Twenty one people died as a result of the Whakaari / White Island eruption.
Stephanie's life now.
Stephanie suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body, including her face, arms, legs and back. She's undergone more than 20 surgeries and has had eight fingers amputated since December 2019.
She has documented her tough recovery on Instagram.
Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes she finds strength from her family, and the memory of her dad and sister.
"I push forward, not only for myself, but for my mum, my dad and my sister, because I want to make them proud and I want to make them happy," she said.
"I want them to know that I'm here and I'm grateful to be here and I'm going to make them proud."
An unknown 'level two' warning.
The Browitt family were holidaying onboard Royal Caribbean ship Ovation of the Seas when they made the day trip to the active volcano.
Paul's wife, and Stephanie and Krystal's mother, Marie Browitt stayed onboard.
Among the 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, 38 were passengers and crew from the ship.
Two weeks before December 9, New Zealand's volcanic monitoring authority had increased the volcano's warning level to level 2. This marked the highest alert level before an eruption took place, and indicated "moderate to heightened volcanic unrest" with the "potential for eruption hazards".
Stephanie previously told 60 Minutes neither the cruise company nor tour operator told the cruise ship tourists about this increased risk.
"It really hurts and upsets me and frustrates me that we weren't told," Stephanie said.
"It's a major factor in making an informed decision about going on the island and visiting it. And it's just such a huge piece of information to be left out."
Lawyer Peter Gordon is suing Royal Caribbean on behalf of the Browitts.
"They failed. They let their passengers down. They let families down, they let the Browitt family down. We've lost Krystal Browitt and Paul Browitt as a consequence of it," he explained.
"Their standard of conduct goes beyond negligent, to what seems to me to be a wanton and reckless indifference to what was going to happen on that island."
Royal Caribbean did not comment on the legal challenge, but told 60 Minutes its "hearts go out to all those affected".
This article was originally published on November 2, 2020 and was updated with new information on June 6, 2022.
Feature Image: Instagram/60 Minutes.
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