Never-before-seen footage shows the terrifying moment tourists fled after they realised a volcano was erupting on a New Zealand island.

Twenty-two people were killed when the volcano on White Island, also known as Whakaari, erupted on 9 December 2019.

Footage was played in court on Tuesday (11 July) during the criminal trial of three tourism companies and three directors charged with safety breaches.

Filmed by one of the tourists, it shows the group running for their lives and hiding behind large rocks for safety just seconds before the volcano erupted.