Descent from Disaster (2013)
Retrace some of NZ's darkest days to reveal the stories, secrets and lessons learnt from our most famous disasters.
📺 Seasons & Episodes
Season 16 episodes
1. Hyde Train Crash - 1943
⏱ 45 minNo description available.
2. Kaimai Plane Crash - 1963
⏱ 45 minOn 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.
3. Strongman Mine Disaster - 1967
⏱ 45 minWest 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.
4. Shipwreck of the S.S. Wairarapa - 1894
⏱ 45 min135 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.
5. Hawkes Bay Earthquake - 1931
⏱ 45 minThe 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.
6. Influenza Pandemic - 1918
⏱ 45 minIn 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.
Season 26 episodes
1. Cyclone Giselle - 1968
⏱ 45 minONE News meteorologist Karen Olsen revisits one of New Zealand's worst storms. On April 9th, 1968 Cyclone Giselle hit New Zealand with a force so ferocious it sank the Wahine inter-island ferry.
2. Brynderwyn Bus Crash - 1963
⏱ 45 minVeteran broadcaster Mark Sainsbury recounts the relatively unknown story of the 1963 Brynderwyn bus crash, which resulted in the death of 15 passengers after its brakes failed on a winding road.
3. Centennial Yatch Race - 1951
⏱ 45 minKiwi yachting legend Peter Montgomery recounts the 1951 Centennial Yacht Race disaster, where ten men died in a brutal storm shortly after setting sail from Wellington.
4. Taranaki Mountaineering Disaster - 1953
⏱ 45 minToni Street travels to New Plymouth to rediscover the Taranaki Mountaineering Disaster.
5. Wreck Of The Ranui - 1950
⏱ 45 min22 lives were lost when the Ranui capsized, leaving families heartbroken and the small seaside communities of Mount Maunganui and Tauranga shattered. Presented by Peter Elliott.
6. Ruapheu Plane Crash - 1948
⏱ 45 minFormer One News weatherman Jim hickey recounts the tragic 1948 National Airways Corporation plane crash on Mt Ruapehu. At the time this was the worst civilian plane crash in New Zealand.
