Whangaehu is a settlement in the

Rangitikei District The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regi ...

and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. Whangaehu is located near the mouth of the

Whangaehu River The Whangaehu River is a large river in central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Whanganui. Water is diverted ...

, a large river flowing from for the crater lake of

Mount Ruapehu Mount Ruapehu (; ) is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and North Island volcanic plateau in New Zealand. It is northeast of Ohakune and southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupō, within the Tongari ...

on the central plateau, southward to the

South Taranaki Bight The South Taranaki Bight is a large bay on the west coast of New Zealand, south of Taranaki, west of the Manawatu, north and west of the western entrance of Cook Strait and north of the South Island. The name is sometimes used for a much smaller ...

in the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...

. Water is diverted from the headwaters for the

Tongariro Power Scheme The Tongariro Power Scheme is a 360 MW hydroelectricity scheme in the central North Island of New Zealand. The scheme is currently operated by electricity generation company Genesis Energy. The scheme takes water from tributaries of the Rangit ...

History

Whangaehu was the site of a Māori settlement when Europeans began settling the nearby

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natur ...

mouth at

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

in mid-19th century.

Nicholas Chevalier Nicholas Chevalier (9 May 1828 – 15 March 1902) was a Russian-born artist who worked in Australia and New Zealand. Early life Chevalier was born in St Petersburg, Russia, the son of Louis Chevalier, who came from Vaud, Switzerland, and was o ...

depicted the settlement in a sketch in December 1868, which is now in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Mount Ruapehu has erupted multiple times, causing sludge to flow down the river. In February 1862 James Coutts Crawford was given several old songs and various accounts of the

taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected ...

in the river. Flooding was recorded following the 1889 and 1895 eruptions. The sudden collapse of part of the Ruapehu crater wall on 24 December 1953 led to New Zealand's worst railway accident, the

Tangiwai disaster The Tangiwai disaster occurred at 10:21 p.m. on 24 December 1953 when a railway bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed beneath an express passenger train at Tangiwai, North Island, New Zealand. The locomotive and the first six carriage ...

. A lahar – a sudden surge of mud-laden water – swept down the river. On 18 March 2007, the mountain crater lake burst, sending an estimated 1.29 billion cubic metres of water, mud, and sludge down the river. The Lahar was 50% bigger than the 1953 Lahar that caused the Tangiwai disaster, but the Ruapehu ERLAWS alarm successfully activated preventing any accidents.

Education

Whangaehu School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of .

Notable people

* Vida Mary Katie MacLean (1881–1970), civilian and military nurse, hospital matron

References

{{Rangitikei District Rangitikei District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui