================ Air, Rail & Natural Disasters 1846-1983 =================
RESOURCES:
ŠLambert, Max & Eileen., & Palenski, Ron & Kathy., (1985)., "4th NZ Almanac
1986." Moa Almanac Press, Moa Publications, Auckland., pg 415-416
Almanac contains most historical data collected and transcribed from a
wide variety of resources.
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Date Disaster Locale Killed Comments
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7 May 1846 Landslip Lake Taupo 61 Te Rapa (maori)
village buried by
mudslide
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23 Jan 1855 Earthquake Wgtn/Wairarapa 5 Destroyed pioneer
settlements, no. maori
deaths unknown.
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Jul-Sep 1863 Flood/Blizzard Central Otago 37 Swept through goldfields
death toll prob. higher
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21 Feb 1879 Mining Kaitangata 35 Coalmine explosion;
inquiry revealed
negligence and
inefficiency
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10 Jun 1886 Eruption Mt Tarawera 153 Swept away villages and
pink and white terraces
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26 Mar 1896 Mining Brunner 67 Unauthorised shot in
disused section of mine
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16 Apr 1897 Floods Hawkes Bay 12 Tutaekuri River in
flood, centred on Clive
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12 Sep 1914 Mining Huntly 44 Mine explosion 43 of
dead entombed
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1918-19 Epidemic NZ-wide 6700 Influenza brought to NZ
appr. via the 'Niagara', a
British steamer.
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5 Jul 1923 Rail King Country 14 Main trunk express
crashes into earth slip
near Taumaranui
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3 Dec 1926 Mining Dobson 9 Mine Explosion
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17 Jun 1929 Earthquake Murchison 17 Structural damage also
felt - Nelson, Westport
and Greymouth
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3 Feb 1931 Earthquake Napier/Hastings 256 Almost totally flattened
Felt in Wairoa and
Dannevirke
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18 Feb 1938 Floods Poverty Bay 21 Govt construction camp
swamped by Kopuawhara
Stream in flood.
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11 Sep 1939 Mining Huntly 11 Asphyxiated while
investigating
underground gas leak
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7 May 1942 Aircrash Mt Richmond 5 All killed when plane
hit rockface
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9 Jun 1942 Aircrash Auckland 11 US Servicemen killed when
US Flying Fortress crashed
on take-off from Whenuapai
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29 Sep 1942 Aircrash Tasman Bay 6 Hudson bomber crashed
during exercise
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8 Dec 1942 Fire Seacliff 39 Mental hospital blaze
victims were in sealed
ward for the night
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1943 Aircrash Nelson Coast 4 DH Dragonfly plunged into
sea en route from Westport
to Nelson
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1943 Aircrash Auckland 14 Liberator bomber crashed
near Whenuapai Airbase
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4 Jun 1943 Rail Hyde 21 Cromwell-Dunedin express
derailed
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21 Aug 1944 Aircrash Auckland coast 14 2 Lockheed Hudson bombers
disappear
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18 Nov 1947 Fire Christchurch 41 Ballantynes department
store most of killed were
staff
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23 Oct 1948 Aircrash Mt Ruapehu 13 NAC Electra on Palmerston
North-Hamilton flight
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18 Mar 1949 Aircrash Tararua fthlls 15 NAC Lodestar crashed on
approach to Paraparaumu
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27-9 Jan 1951 Yacht race Cook Strait 10 Yachts Argo & Husky lost
during Wellington-
Lyttelton race
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4 Dec 1951 Aircrash Mt Ruapehu 4 RNZAF aircraft hit
mountain
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26 Jul 1953 Climbing Mt Egmont 6 people swept off Hongi's
bluff
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24 Dec 1953 Rail Tangiwai 151 Sudden flood destroyed
bridge - Main Trunk
express plunged into water
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21 Nov 1961 Aircrash Mt Ruapehu 6 Aero-Commander lost wing
& crashed into mountain
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12 Feb 1962 Aircrash Fiordland? 5 Dragonfly disappeared
on scenic flight
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7 Feb 1963 Road Bryderwyn Hills 15 Bus carrying 37 back from
Waitangi Day celebrations
plunges down cliff after
brake failure
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3 Jul 1963 Aircrash Kaimais 25 NAC DC3 crashed into
ridge on Mt Ngatamihinerua
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19 Jan 1967 Mining Strongman, Grymt 19 Mine explosion
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24 May 1968 Earthquake Inangahua 6 3 killed in small West
Coast town, 3 killed in
rescue helicopter
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24 Feb 1970 Tunnel Kaimais 4 Section of tunnel
collapsed
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28 Nov 1979 Aircrash Antartic 257 Air NZ DC10 hits Mt
Erebus on scenic flight
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18 Aug 1981 Rail Tangiwai 4 Silver Fern railcar
plunges down embankment
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9 Dec 1982 Aircrash Turoa 5 Die in helicopter crash
on skifield
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6 Jun 1983 Yachting Whangaroa 7 Lion Heart founders in
heavy seas
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========== G E N E o N Z - N Z & M a o r i G e n e a l o g y ======
t r a n s c r i b e d
7 August 1998
http://www.geocities.com/wlorac/nzcross.txt
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