Story: Floods

The Kōpuawhara memorial

A tall concrete obelisk memorial surrounded by a fence.

This memorial was built in 1942 to commemorate those who were killed in the Kōpuawhara flood. It is hard to visualise the devastating power of the Kōpuawhara Stream in full flood, but the memorial serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of New Zealand’s rivers. The memorial lists 22 names, 21 killed at Kōpuawhara and one man who was swept away at Boyd's Camp on Maraetaha Stream, closer to Gisborne.

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Private collection
Photograph by Bruce Scott

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How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Floods - The Kōpuawhara flash flood, 1938', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/4885/the-kopuawhara-memorial (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 1 Feb 2024