Tangiwai Memorial

On Christmas Eve 1953 the Wellington-Auckland express drawn by a Ka class steam locomotive plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River here with the loss of 151 lives. The bridge had been destroyed by a lahar from Mt Ruapehu. Gates on the main road are part of a warning system to protect travellers from what is a serious riskas explained below.

"Ruapehu is one of New Zealand’s most active volcanoes, with ten eruptions since 1861. The eruptions aren’t the only threat from the volcano, however. Among the most serious threats is a volcanic mudflow called a lahar. In between eruptions, a lake forms in the volcano’s caldera from melting snow. If a previous eruption has deposited a dam of ash, rocks and mud in the lake’s natural overflow point, then the lake becomes dangerously full, held back only by the temporary dam. In this scene, the lake is nestled among the ridges at the top of the volcano. Eventually, the dam gives way and a massive flow of mud and debris churns down the mountain toward farmland and towns below. Scientists estimate that Ruapehu has experienced 60 lahars in the last 150 years."

NZOnScreen hosts 'Tangiwai- a Love Story.'
At New Zealand's second largest Cemetery, Karori, there is a memorial to the disaster.