- Whangaehu River
The Whangaehu River is a large river in central
North Island ofNew Zealand . Its headwaters are the crater lake ofMount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into theTasman Sea eight kilometres southeast ofWanganui .Length
The river flows for 135 kilometres southward to the
South Taranaki Bight near the settlement of Whangaehu.Notoriety
The sudden collapse of part of the Ruapehu crater wall on
December 24 ,1953 led to New Zealand's worst railway accident, theTangiwai disaster . Alahar - a sudden surge of mud-laden water - swept down the river, significantly weakening the structure of a railway bridge at the small settlement of Tangiwai. The overnight express train between Wellington and Auckland passed over the bridge minutes later, causing it to collapse into the turbulent waters. Of the 285 people on the train, 151 were killed.Geology
Often poisoned with toxic chemicals from the volcanic activity in and around Mount
Ruapehu
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