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Inangahua Earthquake
My Story
DescriptionAround 5am on Friday 24th of May 1968, I was awakened at 39 Murphy St Nelson, to what I first thought was a heavy truck coming down our street, as the sound came from a Southerly direction. Then I noticed the bed was beginning to shake violently. My wife Judy, who was also jolted awake, said “What is it?” “I think it’s an earthquake,” I replied and things were still shaking, but it was easing up. I leapt out of bed to check on Steven, as there was a concrete wall outside his bedroom window. I returned to bed and we both lay there waiting for further shocks and we didn’t have to wait long. The tremors continued, mainly smaller after shocks, but everyone was waiting on another big one. These after shocks were to continue for weeks to come. There was no damage at our home and my family was quite happy, apart from the continual shaking. So I went to work, as with the rolling action of the ground in an earthquake, the telephone cables get stretched and in the case of dry paper insulation, it snaps as the copper wire stretches.
A meeting was held in the Overseers Office; to prepare for the flood of cable damage faults that we were sure would be soon reported. I was leaning against a map desk and it was shaking about every five minutes with after shocks, some of which were as big as what you would call a big earthquake when you get a single one. Around Nelson, the damage to telephone cables was very minor. However toll calls to Greymouth were out and Murchison area which has a big history of large earthquakes was devastated. Almost without exception, every telephone cable in Murchison was damaged and telephone poles that were still standing had most of their wires either stretched or broken.
A massive land slip up the Lower Buller Gorge had completely buried a house along with the lady who lived in it. The slip was so huge that no attempt was made to uncover the house to recover the lady’s body. Her husband was at the time of the earthquake in the milking shed and was saved from the slip. The hugest slip of the whole disaster came down in the Upper Buller Gorge between Murchison and Inangahua Junction where it completely blocked the Buller River. The river backed up behind the slip and came right up to where the road peaks today, which with no exaggeration must be in the vicinity of 500m above normal. Personal were evacuated downstream with fear of the pressure of water pushing the slip away.
The village of Inangahua junction, considered to be the epicenter of the earthquake was completely evacuated, with Army helicopters bought in to help. Another hillside at the rear of the Inangahua Hotel slumped and just kept coming towards the hotel. The hotel which was at the Junction, where you turn off to either Reefton or Westport was pushed out onto the road and had to be demolished, but was never replaced. Luckily the water slowly “leaked” out under the slip after a considerable time and relieved the danger.The roadman, who before the earthquake, would with his wheelbarrow and shovel, fill in the potholes in the gravel road. It was later learnt that the roadman who lived in close proximity to the huge slip, that blocked the river, was immediately out there after the initial shock with his wheel barrow and shovel starting to clean up the roads of hundreds of slips. The noise of that huge slip in the darkness of the early morning must have been horrendous. Despite his protests he was lifted out by helicopter.
Post Office staffs from both Nelson and Motueka were sent to Murchison to repair telephone lines and cables and were accommodated in the Hampden Hotel. Slim Healy, one of my workmates, who was sent to Murchison to repair cables, told me later, that he was sleeping upstairs in the hotel, the night after the big one and his bed was moving around from wall to wall, the tremors were still so violent. He also said, that the water tower at the back of the hotel which was level with the second level of the hotel to supply water pressure, had water slopping over the sides, as the tremors continued, causing the tower to sway. Telephone lines throughout the Buller Gorge were destroyed and with the huge number of slips blocking the road, the only access was by helicopter. Four days after the initial shock, the line gangs, made up of Nelson and Motueka staff, assembled at the Murchison Rugby field, which was to be used for helicopter take offs and landings. Low fog hung in that damp Murchison air as the first flight was made ready, to fly staff into the Upper Buller Gorge to bypass the slips and work towards the rest of the staff, working towards them.
Ted Steer was a young guy of about 22 years old who was from Motueka, asked if he could have a ride in the chopper, as he had never had a ride in one. Fred Pope, one of the older guys, also from Motueka, gave up his seat to Ted, who was very excited about his ride. The helicopter took off, heading into the gorge, after making arrangements to meet the rest of the gang who were traveling in a double cab truck, at O’Sullivan’s Bridge, to shorten the next flight. As the truck made its way towards O’Sullivan’s Bridge, the driver saw smoke and flames at the side of the road ahead of them. To their shock when they got to the fire, they found it was the helicopter and both Ted Steer and Bob Pedders, who was also from Motueka, were still strapped into the burning helicopter, which was burning so fiercely any rescue was impossible. The helicopter, in the low fog, had flown directly into one, of the inch thick [25mm] power lines suspended on pylons across the Buller River, just on the Murchison side of O’Sullivan’s Bridge. The thick aluminum wire had wrapped around the rotor shaft, below the rotor blades and wound itself back along the cable in the direction of the river bank. The pilot had apparently tried to jump clear of the crashing helicopter, but in doing so, his head went into the spinning rotor blades, which took off the top of his head and helmet. His body was found on the river bed. This tragic accident which shocked the whole Nelson, Motueka area, was linked indirectly to the earthquake. Houses around Inangahua were the worst hit with some losing their roofs and others being completely destroyed. The road bridge at Inangahua was heaved out of alignment and today still shows the effects of that terrible day.
On a lighter point, Pat Pretty, who was a Post Office skilled lineman based at Murchison, told me during my research, that the Hampden Hotel which was owned by his father Jack, only had one bottle broken, that could be blamed on the earthquake. Repair work on the telephone communications took many months to complete. Meanwhile, the road works that my father in law had been working on through the Gorge and had been completed were now destroyed. The earthquake was in a way a blessing in disguise, as although the road in the Gorge had been done up, the resulting new road built after the earthquake was far superior.
ContributorBrian McIntyreDate of story events24th May 1968Map[1]
A meeting was held in the Overseers Office; to prepare for the flood of cable damage faults that we were sure would be soon reported. I was leaning against a map desk and it was shaking about every five minutes with after shocks, some of which were as big as what you would call a big earthquake when you get a single one. Around Nelson, the damage to telephone cables was very minor. However toll calls to Greymouth were out and Murchison area which has a big history of large earthquakes was devastated. Almost without exception, every telephone cable in Murchison was damaged and telephone poles that were still standing had most of their wires either stretched or broken.
A massive land slip up the Lower Buller Gorge had completely buried a house along with the lady who lived in it. The slip was so huge that no attempt was made to uncover the house to recover the lady’s body. Her husband was at the time of the earthquake in the milking shed and was saved from the slip. The hugest slip of the whole disaster came down in the Upper Buller Gorge between Murchison and Inangahua Junction where it completely blocked the Buller River. The river backed up behind the slip and came right up to where the road peaks today, which with no exaggeration must be in the vicinity of 500m above normal. Personal were evacuated downstream with fear of the pressure of water pushing the slip away.
The village of Inangahua junction, considered to be the epicenter of the earthquake was completely evacuated, with Army helicopters bought in to help. Another hillside at the rear of the Inangahua Hotel slumped and just kept coming towards the hotel. The hotel which was at the Junction, where you turn off to either Reefton or Westport was pushed out onto the road and had to be demolished, but was never replaced. Luckily the water slowly “leaked” out under the slip after a considerable time and relieved the danger.The roadman, who before the earthquake, would with his wheelbarrow and shovel, fill in the potholes in the gravel road. It was later learnt that the roadman who lived in close proximity to the huge slip, that blocked the river, was immediately out there after the initial shock with his wheel barrow and shovel starting to clean up the roads of hundreds of slips. The noise of that huge slip in the darkness of the early morning must have been horrendous. Despite his protests he was lifted out by helicopter.
Post Office staffs from both Nelson and Motueka were sent to Murchison to repair telephone lines and cables and were accommodated in the Hampden Hotel. Slim Healy, one of my workmates, who was sent to Murchison to repair cables, told me later, that he was sleeping upstairs in the hotel, the night after the big one and his bed was moving around from wall to wall, the tremors were still so violent. He also said, that the water tower at the back of the hotel which was level with the second level of the hotel to supply water pressure, had water slopping over the sides, as the tremors continued, causing the tower to sway. Telephone lines throughout the Buller Gorge were destroyed and with the huge number of slips blocking the road, the only access was by helicopter. Four days after the initial shock, the line gangs, made up of Nelson and Motueka staff, assembled at the Murchison Rugby field, which was to be used for helicopter take offs and landings. Low fog hung in that damp Murchison air as the first flight was made ready, to fly staff into the Upper Buller Gorge to bypass the slips and work towards the rest of the staff, working towards them.
Ted Steer was a young guy of about 22 years old who was from Motueka, asked if he could have a ride in the chopper, as he had never had a ride in one. Fred Pope, one of the older guys, also from Motueka, gave up his seat to Ted, who was very excited about his ride. The helicopter took off, heading into the gorge, after making arrangements to meet the rest of the gang who were traveling in a double cab truck, at O’Sullivan’s Bridge, to shorten the next flight. As the truck made its way towards O’Sullivan’s Bridge, the driver saw smoke and flames at the side of the road ahead of them. To their shock when they got to the fire, they found it was the helicopter and both Ted Steer and Bob Pedders, who was also from Motueka, were still strapped into the burning helicopter, which was burning so fiercely any rescue was impossible. The helicopter, in the low fog, had flown directly into one, of the inch thick [25mm] power lines suspended on pylons across the Buller River, just on the Murchison side of O’Sullivan’s Bridge. The thick aluminum wire had wrapped around the rotor shaft, below the rotor blades and wound itself back along the cable in the direction of the river bank. The pilot had apparently tried to jump clear of the crashing helicopter, but in doing so, his head went into the spinning rotor blades, which took off the top of his head and helmet. His body was found on the river bed. This tragic accident which shocked the whole Nelson, Motueka area, was linked indirectly to the earthquake. Houses around Inangahua were the worst hit with some losing their roofs and others being completely destroyed. The road bridge at Inangahua was heaved out of alignment and today still shows the effects of that terrible day.
On a lighter point, Pat Pretty, who was a Post Office skilled lineman based at Murchison, told me during my research, that the Hampden Hotel which was owned by his father Jack, only had one bottle broken, that could be blamed on the earthquake. Repair work on the telephone communications took many months to complete. Meanwhile, the road works that my father in law had been working on through the Gorge and had been completed were now destroyed. The earthquake was in a way a blessing in disguise, as although the road in the Gorge had been done up, the resulting new road built after the earthquake was far superior.
ContributorBrian McIntyreDate of story events24th May 1968Map[1] Photograph
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MenuBy Topic | WC History | DisastersBy Decade | 1960-1969
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West Coast New Zealand History (9th May 2017). Inangahua Earthquake. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 18th Apr 2026 13:11, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/1166