Whangaehu River

Whangaehu River
Bridge over the Whangaehu near Tangiwai
Data
location	Manawatu-Wanganui Region , North Island (New Zealand)
River system	Whangaehu River
source	in the crater of Ruapehu 39 ° 17 ′ 3 ″  S , 175 ° 34 ′ 7 ″  E
muzzle	at Ratana in the Tasman Sea Coordinates: 40 ° 2 ′ 28 ″  S , 175 ° 6 ′ 1 ″  E 40 ° 2 ′ 28 ″  S , 175 ° 6 ′ 1 ″  E
length	approx. 140 km

The Whangaehu River is one of the major rivers in New Zealand's North Island . It has its source in the crater of the Ruapehu volcano in Tongariro National Park . It flows into the Tasman Sea about 13 kilometers southeast of Wanganui near Ratana . The river is about 140 kilometers long.

When part of the Ruapehu crater collapsed on December 24, 1953, a lahar was formed that followed the course of the river and weakened a bridge over the river at Tangiwai. A few minutes later the bridge collapsed under the night train between Auckland and Wellington . 151 of the 285 people on the train died in the accident. This made the Tangiwai railway accident New Zealand's worst railway disaster.

The last lahar occurred in March 2007. However, the authorities had taken timely measures to protect human life.