Descent From Disaster

On April 9th, 1968 Cyclone Giselle hit New Zealand with a force so ferocious it sank the Wahine inter-island ferry.

In 1963 Brynderwyn a bus crashed which resulted in the death of 15 passengers after its brakes failed on a winding road.

On January 23rd 1951, twenty yachts set sail from Wellington, New Zealand in a race to celebrate the Canterbury district's centennial. The official forecast predicted moderate conditions, but what the sailors didn't know was a brutal southerly storm was approaching fast.

On July 26th, 1953, a group of 31 climbers set out to climb Mount Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island. The ascent to the summit went well, but the group had been running behind time all day. Seven climbers traversed the final icy slope. Then without warning, all seven climbers slipped and fell.

22 lives were lost when the Ranui capsized, leaving families heartbroken and the small seaside communities of Mount Maunganui and Tauranga shattered.

On Saturday October 23rd, 1948, a National Airways Corporation of New Zealand Lockheed Electra left Palmerston North bound for Hamilton. Just after 1.30pm the crew reported they were climbing in heavy cloud and rain. These were the last radio signals received from the aircraft.