Tangiwai Disaster Site Refurbishment Work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Callum From Stone & Glass Creations NZ in conjunction with Nathan from Taupo Monumental (close friends since intermediate) had the pleasure on completing stage one of the restoration an addition of the 151 names of the victims of the Tangiwai Disaster.

At 10:21pm on December 24^th 1953, a Lahar from Mount Ruapehu washed out the rail bridge at Tangiwai and caused the Wellington to Auckland express passenger train to crash into the Whangaehu River . Although there has been a memorial to the accident on the site for many years the victims’ names had never been recognized on the site.

My father John is a survivor of the disaster so it was a project that was both Callum and Nathan were very pleased to be involved with.

A small unknown at the time the project started was that fact that Tangiwai had taken another victim on the site. When construction began on the new rail bridge a worker on the site, Mr Chris Akapita, was killed and the body never recovered so both Callum & Nathan have donated a memorial on the site for Mr Akapita so his memory lives on.

 

 

Finishing touches with the install of the new flower stations.

Following on with the upgrade on the memorial site

New Memorial for the two men that lost their lives on that tragic night

       

Flag Stations with the major sponsors

 

Taranaki Cycle Park Bell Block

 

Gifting of a memorial for a deserving Mum for her son in associations with More FM