The 1953 Tangiwai disaster occurred when a large amount of water surged from Mt Ruapehu’s crater lake down the Whangaehu River. It destroyed a railway bridge at Tangiwai (10 miles south of Ohakune) causing a train to plunge into the river. Following this disaster a warning system was installed in the river to detect floods.
Renewed volcanic activity at Mt Ruapehu in 1995 led to an expulsion of a large volume of water from its crater lake on the night of 24–25 September. This flooded the Whangaehu River for over 12 hours. The photograph shows flood waters piled up against the lahar warning gauge on the morning of 25 September.
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by J. R. Grant
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