Relative Disasters

The 1953 Tangiwai Disaster (Episode 71)


Listen Later

On Christmas Eve, 1953, the North Island of New Zealand was settling in for the holiday when the crater lake on top of Mount Ruapehu abruptly gave way. Within minutes, a six-meter-high wall of mud and rocks was barreling down the Wongaehu River valley, where it knocked out half of a railway bridge...just as the evening Wellington-to-Auckland express train was approaching.

On this episode, we're discussing volcanoes, lahars, British / American train terms, railway bridges, Queen Elizabeth's first royal Commonwealth tour, and a truly incredible rescue effort.


Love the show? Support us on Patreon, at ⁠www.patreon.com/RelativeDisastersPodcast⁠.


Sources for this episode include:

The official Ministry of Transportation Inquiry into the Tangiwai Disaster, 1954 

"Tangiwai Railway Disaster 1953", a digital collection from Christchurch City Libraries, 2012

Tangiwai Disaster”, a digital collection from NZ History


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Relative DisastersBy Greg & Ella

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

39 ratings


More shows like Relative Disasters

View all
Stuff You Should Know by iHeartPodcasts

Stuff You Should Know

78,785 Listeners

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast by Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

29,024 Listeners

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

172,154 Listeners

20/20 by ABC News

20/20

11,879 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,909 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,984 Listeners

Crime Junkie by Audiochuck

Crime Junkie

369,635 Listeners

Morbid by Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

Morbid

99,648 Listeners

Dateline NBC by NBC News

Dateline NBC

47,985 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,359 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,221 Listeners

Disastrous History: A Disasters of History Podcast by Authored by: Anthony Finchum, Produced by: Kaitlin Finchum

Disastrous History: A Disasters of History Podcast

202 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,898 Listeners

From The Depths:: The Haunting Legacy of The Edmund Fitzgerald by Inception Point Ai

From The Depths:: The Haunting Legacy of The Edmund Fitzgerald

6 Listeners

Devil in the Desert by ABC News

Devil in the Desert

1,829 Listeners