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Only one portion of the fuselage of the Air New Zealand DC-10 remained intact on the icy slopes of Mt Erebus.
New Zealand's worst railway disaster occurred on Christmas Eve 1953, when the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the swollen Whangaehu River near Tangiwai. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. The tragedy stunned the world and left a nation in mourning.
On 28 November 1979, 237 passengers and 20 crew were killed when Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into the side of Mt Erebus, Antarctica. The tragedy was followed by a demanding recovery operation and a raging debate over who or what was to blame
This April marks the 44th anniversary of the sinking of the ferry Wahine. With more than 50 lives lost, this was New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster. The Wahine’s demise on 10 April 1968 also heralded a new era in local TV news as pictures of the disaster were beamed into Kiwi living rooms.
The disasters timeline and map give an overview of New Zealand's worst natural disasters, transport accidents, fires, mining accidents and other tragedies that have caused major loss of life.
Hear Allan Wyllie recall the sinking of the Limerick in 1943
How police responded to the disasters, particularly Tangiwai, Wahine and Erebus
Air New Zealand and Qantas began offering sightseeing flight over the Antarctic in February 1977.
The events that led to the drowning of 51 people in the Wahine disaster of 10 April 1968
The Erebus disaster was mainly caused by an unfortunate, late change in flight path and the white-out conditions in Antarctica.
The unfortunate sequence of events that led to the Tangiwai disaster
For most second-class travellers, travelling the main trunk meant a long, sleepless journey on hard-backed seats, struggling to find 'elusive comfort with the NZR pillow'.
How locals and police responded to New Zealand's worst railway disaster
The wreckage of the Wellington–Auckland express and the remains of the railway bridge at Tangiwai, 25 December 1953
Social studies ideas and activities exploring the causes of NZ disasters
The police, emergency services and civilians rescued passengers and crew from the inter-island ferry Wahine in Wellington Harbour in April 1968.
A team of New Zealand Police officers and a Mountain Face Rescue Team were immediately dispatched to the scene of the Erebus disaster.
Rescue party at a wrecked carriage of the Wellington–Auckland express at Tangiwai
Identifying victims is a major task following any mass tragedy. A number of circumstances made this process particularly difficult at Tangiwai.