Descent from Disaster

Kaimai Plane Crash - 1963

On July 3rd 1963, a National Airways Corporation DC3 slammed into a rocky ravine deep in the Kaimai Ranges. All 23 passengers and crew were killed. Simon Gault looks back at this tragic story.

Strongman Mine Disaster - 1967

West Coast's Leigh Hart revisits his old hometown of Runanga, where in 1967,it was one of several West Coast towns devastated by the Strongman Mine disaster.

Shipwreck of the S.S. Wairarapa - 1894

135 people lost their lives when the S.S. Wairarapa steamed straight into rocks on Great Barrier Island. Andrew Fagan uncovers the stories of heroism and downright cowardice on that tragic night.

Hawkes Bay Earthquake - 1931

The Hawkes Bay Earthquake of 1931 is New Zealand's deadliest earthquake with over 250 people killed and hundreds more injured. Gary McCormick looks back at this tragic event.

Influenza Pandemic - 1918

In 1918, 8500 New Zealanders lost their lives in a influenza pandemic that swept the world, Judy Bailey investigates the affect it had on New Zealand.