Niwa research vessel RV Tangaroa arrived back from a maritime expedition to Tonga last week.
Three people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed from tsunamis generated from the massive eruption, estimated to be 500 times more powerful than the atom bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
"The likelihood of another violent eruption happening anytime soon is quite low," said Kevin Mckay, who led Niwa's expedition to Tonga on board the RV Tangaroa.
