This geocache is a multi cache based on the information signs and structures around this historic site.
The Final is at South 39° AB.CDE East 175° VW.XYZ
Welcome to the Tangiwai Memorial Site
He wai-ariki-rangi, he wai-ariki-nuku e heke ana te wai tōtā o Whangaehu to tere atu nei.
Nau mai, haere mai ki to rohe o Ngāti Rangi, ki tēnei wāhi o Tangiwai.
As the Whangaehu descends, its song bids you welcome.
We also welcome you to the tribal domain of Ngāti Rangi and to Tangiwai.
This site introduces three interwoven stories.
The first story is about the train wreck of Christmas Eve 1953 (known as the Tangiwai Disaster) and the 151 people who perished.
The second story is of the volcanic Ruapehu maunga (mountain). Te Wai ā-moe (Crater Lake) in its active crater, and the volcanic mudflows called lahars that flow from Te Wai ā-moe down the Whangaehu awa (river) past this site and out to sea.
The third story is of Ngāti Rangi who have lived in the area for centuries alongside more recent arrivals. It speaks of their relationships with the mountain and the river and how we are learning to live in harmony with the volcano and lahars.
This site exists because these three stories combined here in one of our country's darkest hours.
A: The first digit of the date of the disaster
The Tangiwai Memorial Monument
B: The sum of the digits of the lives tragically lost.
The Christmas Eve Tragedy At Tangiwai 1953
New Zealand's worst railway disaster was caused by a tragic coincidence of unlucky timing and insufficient understanding of lahars.
The Lahar
At about 8 pm on 24th December 1953, a hidden blockage of lava, ice and volcanic debris broke out from Mt Ruapehu's Crater Lake (Te Wai ā-moe) releasing 1.8 million cubic metres of dammed-up water. This became a flash flood which rushed down the upper Whangaehu Valley. Laden with boulders, sand, ice and logs, the dense swift-flowing, grey-brown flood, five metres deep, hit the Tangiwai Rail Bridge at approximately 10.15 pm. After travelling 38 km, the terrific force smashed into the bridge and swept away the two central concrete piers, plus steel girders on them. Unsupported, the rail tracks floundered, just as the Wellington-to-Auckland Night Express No. 626 approached the bridge. There was no time for any effective warning.
That Christmas Eve, 151 people died.
The Disaster
Slowing, but unable to stop in time, the locomotive and the first five second-class carriages of the 470 tonne, 11-carriage Express plunged into the raging Whangaehu River (Carriages 1-5).
The sixth carriage dangled over the end of the bridge for several minutes until the coupling broke, making the carriage fall into the torrent. But the train speed had been slowed enough to save the last five carriages (three passenger, the guard's van and a postal van) from falling in too.
Like corks, the carriages bounced about as they were washed downstream. Only 28 people survived from the 176 passengers on board the first five carriages. One person drowned in the sixth carriage.
Emergency Response
The emergency response was initiated by Ohakune Train Control, phone exchange staff, road travellers and a local policeman. People 15 km away had heard the noise but didn't know what it was - the roar of the racing lahar.
Locals, police and personnel from the Waiouru Army camp rushed to the disaster area with lights, torches and medical supplies. By the time they arrived, the lahar had reduced to near normal flood-level with all survivors rescued. The Army provided clothes to the survivors who were saturated in mud and engine oil. A morgue was set up at the Army Military camp. Few of the victims sustained fatal injuries, most drowned in the muddy, oily water.
Recovery
Recovery went on for days as many bodies were washed downstream. Some were found 24 kms away, hanging in trees or buried in sand and mud, Community volunteers, Police and the Navy, were all involved in the body recovery phase. Four days afterwards, a special train, with white crosses chalked on the carriage sides, left for wellington carrying more than 100 bodies, 21 of whom were not identified and were buried at Karori. Twenty people were never found, believed washed out to sea.
The Aftermath
A Board of Enquiry was set up to hear the evidence and explain the circumstances. The Board found the lahar to be "an Act of God" and no person was to blame. Lahars were not understood during the design of the rail bridge, the 1906 construction, or its operation, despite smaller lahars in 1925 and 1945. Although there had been some misgivings about the ... refilling of the crater lake, the consequences of a break-out lahar (Christmas Eve 1953) were not understood either.
C: The number of years to refill the crater lake.
Stories From The Old Road And Bridge
Rangataua local Cyril Ellis was returning home for a family Christmas when he was stopped by flood water at the Tangiwai road bridge. Getting out of his car to investigate he saw that the bridge deck was well under raging water. He quickly backed the car up out of danger and got out his torch for a closer look.
Realising a bright light approaching was an oncoming train he ran to the top of the railway embankment waving his torch trying to warn the engine crew. The engine crew became aware of a situation ahead and took action which resulted initially in the six rear carriages and vans left on the tracks.
Carriage 6 was perched precariously ... above the flood waters. Ellis and Guard Inglis, who had seen him by the track, entered the carriage trying to get the passengers to move into the back of the train. As the carriage toppled into the raging torrent the men held on then smashed a window open as the carriage capsized. With passenger John Holman's assistance they rescued 21 passengers.
These three men were awarded medals for their bravery.
D: The number of metres Carriage 6 was perched precariously above the flood waters minus 2.
Survivors' Stories
It was difficult to survive raging, frigid, muddy, oily water in the dark trapped in carriages. Yet some people did. These are a few of their stories.
Ted Brett was travelling in carriage 2 with close friend John Cockburn and John's younger brother Douglas, but only Ted survived. ...-year-old Ted was thrust against a window of the rolling carriage.
Disoriented, he frantically smashed through as the force of the water began breaking up the carriage. Fighting muddy, sulphurous water laced with locomotive fuel oil, he was swept to a calmer part of the river and was able to climb up the bank.
Only then did he realise he was injured and cold, his clothes sodden and shredded. He was found after rescuers illuminated the scene with car headlights and searchlights.
E: The second digit of Ted Brett's age.
Views At The Railway Bridge
The 1953 lahar destroyed the rail bridge here and other bridges downstream. This was New Zealand's worst rail disaster.
The 2007 lahar, more severe than in 1953, passed safely under the Tangiwai rail and road bridges. Practical steps taken to monitor the lake, raise the highway bridge and develop a timely warning system allowed the lahar to travel down the Whangaehu River to the sea with little risk or damage.
Lahars
Lahars are a natural occurrence from active volcanoes, especially when crater lakes are involved. Shown [here] is hazard data from the key lahars over the past 500 years. Predicting their occurrence and size is complex but necessary to ensure risks are managed well. The situation in 1953 was not well-enough understood then, but we have learned since.
With any rapid rising of the river here, you should evacuate away from the river to higher ground.
V: The last digit of the year the river level rose to between 4.6 m & 5.4 m
Tangiwai Disaster Scene
Here is a schematic of the location of the train immediately after the disaster in 1953. It’s getting difficult to read, but can be determined.
W: The number of the carriage nearest the memorial beyond the Old Road Bridge
Before 1953 - Leading To The Disaster
Tangiwai, named after nearby stream Te Waitangi ā-Tuhia, the weeping waters of Rangituhia, is a river crossing-point where battles occurred between iwi (Māori tribal groups).
Te Wai ā-moe (Crater Lake) and Te Wai Tōtā o Whangaehu (volcanic flash floods or larhars) have been known to iwi for centuries.
The river had flooded from the mountain many times before pākehā (Europeans) arrived. An eruption in ... led to the lahar on Christmas Eve 1953.
Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika
This acidic lake in the active crater of the volcano normally overflows slowly across the lowest point of the crater rim, hidden under glaciers until the early 1960s. The mineralised river is special to Ngāti Rangi and is referred to as Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika (the Breast Milk of the Great Fish of Māui) having traditional associations with marine mammals and their calves feeding near the river mouth.
Path To The Lahar
What is a Lahar?
Volcanic eruptions in the lake, temporary damming of the overflow and collapse of the crater rim cause lahars, (Indonesian name) or volcanic mudflows, to surge down the Whangaehu River, past here.
First European Lahar record
In February 1861, pākehā recorded their first lahar which demolished kāinga Māori (Māori housing), waka (Māori canoes) and a road bridge near the river mouth. In January 1925, another lahar damaged the railway bridge here.
Timeline to disaster
By January 1946 melting snow and rain started to refill the lake.
By August 1953, the new lake had stabilised at a level higher than the former lake because it was dammed by the ... blockage of lava, glacier ice and volcanic debris.
Despite some knowledge of lahars, the dangerous situation was not understood well enough before Christmas Eve. Some people had misgivings about what might happen.
On Christmas Eve 1953, the blockage gave way producing the lahar which led to the Tangiwai disaster.
The ... eruptions
Early in the ... eruption, explosions caused small lahars which destroyed a farm bridge downstream from Tangiwai. Lava welled up into the crater, displacing the lake water, and solidifying against the crater walls at a level higher than the original lake outlet. From August to November explosions blasted out lava, reforming the crater
X: The last digit of the year of the eruption that led to the lahar
After 1953 - Legacy Of The Disaster
The 1953 disaster taught us that important highways and the railway networks need to be located and designed in such a way that they can withstand powerful natural events like lahars.
Because some of those might be larger or more powerful than we have experienced before we also need monitoring and be able to provide timely warning for those at risk.
We need to be able to comprehend such warnings early enough to respond appropriately. After the 1995-96 Ruapehu eruption a resilience to lahars was developed that will enable us to live in harmony with nature at Tangiwai.
If we remember these lessons there should be no more disasters here.
The Chassis
This section of chassis is from car ... on train. This 3m long section was ripped away from car ... and washed 80m down stream. Some body work remained, but was cut free during salvage, and this section was left in the mud. We recovered it in 2014, as the last known large artifact from the crash. The bogie (wheel unit) is contemporary but not original. (The original bogie was wrenched off and lost).
Only one survivor of car ... is known, He was stunned and thrown up the bank near the bridge, totally disorientated.
The coupling was torn off this end, and the broken chassis frames are at the far end. Another difficult to read sign due to weathering.
Y: This section of chassis is from car number?
Memorial to the Heroism of the Crew
Enginedriver Charles Parker and Fireman Lancelot Redman whose actions enabled ... persons on board train number 626, the 3pm Wellington - Auckland Express, to survive the Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953. They died upholding the finest traditions of their profession. Enginemen of New Zealand, who helped produce this memorial, will never forget those of their calling who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Approaching the Whangaehu river bridge, the Enginemen, upon becoming aware of an unusual and potentially threatening situation, took immediate and appropriate action to stop the Express. They responded to the situation using their combined skills and instincts, doing all within their power in an attempt to save their train and the lives with which they had been entrusted.
The raging torrent caused by the devastating lahar pouring down from Mount Ruapehu had already weakened the bridge. The impact of the 145 ton locomotive entering onto the severely damaged bridge structure caused it to give way, resulting in the locomotive and the first five carriages plunging into the river, to be followed shortly thereafter by the sixth carriage.
The vigilance and prompt actions of the Enginemen undoubtedly prevented the remainder of the train from entering the river.
151 souls, including Charles Parker and Lance Redman, were never to see the dawn of Christmas Day, as they perished in those turbulent waters that night.
Z: The first digit of the number of survivors.
When you come to this quiet place, known as "Weeping Waters", stand and listen.
He tohu whakamaharatanga ki te hunga kua ngaro
(In remembrance of the souls lost forever)