The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has issued a message on behalf of the Harbourmaster  advising boats to "avoid the area around Whakaari until further notice".

On Friday evening the Volcanic Alert Level was raised to Level 3 and the Aviation Colour Code raised to orange.

The message from the council was issued via social media.

"People put themselves and their vessels at risk of harm by being close to the island if there is a further eruption," a post on the council's Facebook page read.

"There may also be debris and ashfall around Whakaari, so please navigate with caution"

On Geonet’s website, duty volcanologist Geoff Kilgour says the volcano had produced “a more vigorous plume” on Friday afternoon, moving volcanic ash to the east of the island.

“There is a low probability of this ash affecting the mainland," says Geoff.

"This weak eruptive activity was identified through a combination of webcam imagery and satellite data provided by our colleagues from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre at NZ MetService.

“The activity appears to have been most active from around 1pm to 3pm and has since diminished. Satellite data shows that the plume appears to have contained a minor amount of volcanic ash.”

Geoff says the volcano was currently experiencing a period “of elevated unrest”.

Steam and ash emissions “could continue for some time”.

The harbourmaster is requesting that people share their message with friends and whanau who might be heading out on the water this weekend.

"The harbourmaster has been advised by GNS Science that the Volcanic Alert Level for Whakaari has been raised from 2 to 3 (minor eruption).

"Boats are advised to avoid the area around Whakaari until further notice. Thanks everyone and have a safe weekend."