The Tangiwai disaster, on the eve of Christmas 1953, remains one of the major disasters in New Zealand’s history.
The year is 1953. Peter Cotterill starts the year writing in a journal given to him by his Great Aunt. We follow him through a year of many changes as his town of Napier struggles through hard times in the aftermath of WWII. He joins the scouts and learns to overlook the small-town class structure. The story culminates in a train ride to Auckland with his fellow scouts on the eve of Christmas. In the night, unbeknownst to the travellers, a lahar washes away a railway bridge. ‘This is good historical fiction that successfully captures the mood and texture of life in a New Zealand that was still emerging from the war and before the consumer society bit down . . .
'Deeply involving’ - NZ Herald
About the author
New Plymouth-based award-winning author David Hill (MNZOM), is a widely respected children’s
author and book reviewer.
