The Rainbow Warrior was the flagship of the international environmental organisation, Greenpeace. It was visiting Auckland for a while before leading a fleet of vessels to Muroroa Atoll to protest against the French nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Just before midnight on 10 July, 1985, two explosions rocked the harbour, sinking the 40-metre Rainbow Warrior. Underwater charges had been placed by frogmen on her hull, blowing two holes in the ship. The Rainbow Warrior sank almost immediately. 1 person died.
On April 10 1968, a huge storm hit Wellington Harbour. A huge wave pushed The Wahine off course and in line with the Barrett Reef. The engines stopped working and the passengers were ordered to report to the assembly points with their life jackets. Four of the lifeboats were launched, one was swamped when it hit the water and people were lost into the sea. some people tried to make their own way to shore by jumping of the boat into the sea. The Wahine rolled over on its side completely. 51 people died.
Sir Edmund Hillary, born 1919, made international headlines in 1953 when he became the first man to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. After conquring Everest Sir Edmund Hillary was asked to join other expeditions. He has also built schools and hospitals in Nepal.Sir Edmund Hillary is world known and appears on the New Zealand five dollar note.
influenza epidemic, also known as 'The Spanish Flu', came to New Zealand on one of the troop ships after WW1. It spread around New Zealand fast causing the shipping to stop which made small town suffer from shortage of supplies. An estimated 50 million people died world wide.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in New Zealand , The Pink And White Terraces, was at the bottom of Mt Tarawera. Tourists were wakened by violent shaking of the ground, the sky was lit up by lighting flashes. The Village was buried and The Pink And White Terraces were completly destroyed. An estimated 153 people died.
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