New Zealand’s Worst Disasters by Graham Hutchins, Paperback, 9781775592709 | Buy online at The Nile
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New Zealand’s Worst Disasters

True stories that rocked a nation

Author: Graham Hutchins and Russell Young  

Paperback

The 30 stories in this book describe some of the most devastating accidents and tragedies in New Zealand history, some famous – the Wahine disaster, Erebus and Tangiwai – but many now forgotten. Fires, tornados, earthquakes, drownings, rail and air crashes all feature in these dramatic retellings, as well as the sometimes heroic acts of rescue.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

The 30 stories in this book describe some of the most devastating accidents and tragedies in New Zealand history, some famous – the Wahine disaster, Erebus and Tangiwai – but many now forgotten. Fires, tornados, earthquakes, drownings, rail and air crashes all feature in these dramatic retellings, as well as the sometimes heroic acts of rescue.

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Description

A full train plunges into a raging river at Tangiwai; the Wahine is tossed onto rocks at the entrance to Wellington Harbour; an Air New Zealand DC-10 plunges into Mt Erebus; an earthquake destroys Christchurch … disasters like these are known to all New Zealanders: they are part of our history. But New Zealand has experienced many less well-known disasters, some of them shocking and brutal.Graham Hutchins and Russell Young describe some of the most extraordinary events in New Zealand history. Who knew that a fire killed 39 people at Seacliff Mental Hospital in 1942? That 10 people died in a lahar on White Island in 1914? That a yacht race between Lyttelton and Wellington in 1951 resulted in 10 fatalities? That a tornado ripped through 150 houses in Hamilton in 1948? A fire raging through Raetihi in 1918 was so fierce it destroyed houses, shops and 11 timber mills. Drownings were so common here in the 19th century that they were called ‘the New Zealand death’.These and many other remarkable stories are told in this eye-opening book. While it describes accidents and tragedies, it also reveals acts of heroism. For when human beings make mistakes, others often achieve daring feats of rescue. Some of the stories show that we underestimate Mother Nature at our peril, but many also testify to the courage of the human spirit. Few books are genuine page-turners; this one is.

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About the Author

Graham Hutchins has been writing books for over thirty years. Most of these have been non-fiction, covering such subjects as rugby, cricket, popular music and railways. In 2006 he published Highwater: Floods in New Zealand. He lives in Hamilton. Russell Young worked as an accountant in Te Kuiti for 30 years before moving to Marlborough in 2004, where he now conducts a small home-based practice which allows time for other pastimes, including flying. In 2013 he published The Story of Te Kuiti.

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Back Cover

A full train plunges into a raging river at Tangiwai; the Wahine is tossed onto rocks at the entrance to Wellington Harbour; an Air New Zealand DC10 plunges into Mt Erebus; an earthquake destroys Christchurch . . . disasters like these are known to all New Zealanders: they are part of our history, part of our lives. But New Zealand has experienced many more disasters -- incidents less well known, but shocking, surprising, brutal, bizarre.Graham Hutchins and Russell Young describe some of the most extraordinary events in New Zealand history. Who knew that a fire killed 39 people at Seacliff Mental Hospital in 1942? That 10 people died in a lahar on White Island in 1914? That a yacht race between Lyttelton and Wellington in 1951 resulted in 10 fatalities? That a tornado ripped through 150 houses in Hamilton in 1948? A fire raging through Raetihi in 1918 was so fierce it destroyed houses, shops and 11 timber mills. Drownings were so common here in the 19th century that they were called 'the New Zealand death'. These and many other remarkable stories are told in this truly eye-opening book. While it describes accidents and tragedies, it also reveals acts of heroism and valour. For when vulnerable human beings make mistakes, others often achieve superhuman feats of rescue and daring. Some of the stories in this book show that we underestimate Mother Nature at our peril, but many also testify to the courage of the human spirit. Few books are genuine page-turners; this one is.

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More on this Book

A full train plunges into a raging river at Tangiwai; the Wahine is tossed onto rocks at the entrance to Wellington Harbour; an Air New Zealand DC-10 plunges into Mt Erebus; an earthquake destroys Christchurch ... disasters like these are known to all New Zealanders: they are part of our history. But New Zealand has experienced many less well-known disasters, some of them shocking and brutal.Graham Hutchins and Russell Young describe some of the most extraordinary events in New Zealand history. Who knew that a fire killed 39 people at Seacliff Mental Hospital in 1942? That 10 people died in a lahar on White Island in 1914? That a yacht race between Lyttelton and Wellington in 1951 resulted in 10 fatalities? That a tornado ripped through 150 houses in Hamilton in 1948? A fire raging through Raetihi in 1918 was so fierce it destroyed houses, shops and 11 timber mills. Drownings were so common here in the 19th century that they were called 'the New Zealand death'.These and many other remarkable stories are told in this eye-opening book. While it describes accidents and tragedies, it also reveals acts of heroism. For when human beings make mistakes, others often achieve daring feats of rescue. Some of the stories show that we underestimate Mother Nature at our peril, but many also testify to the courage of the human spirit. Few books are genuine page-turners; this one is.

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Product Details

Publisher
Exisle Publishing
Published
1st April 2016
Pages
224
ISBN
9781775592709

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RRP $35.00
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