On February 7, 1963, 35 Aucklanders left Waitangi having participated the day before in commemorations attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh who were introduced to prominent kuia and kaumatua representing iwi around New Zealand.
But on the Brynderwyn Hills, between Whangarei and Wellsford, the brakes on their bus failed. Despite concerted attempts by driver Harold Parker to slow and keep the bus on the road, it crashed through a wire fence and down a 30m slope to the Piroa Stream.
Fifteen people were killed while the rest of the passengers, and driver Parker, were injured. The dead included Karaka (Clark) Wiapo, a former NZ Maori rugby representative, who had been presented to the Queen and was accompanied by friends and supporters. It became known as the Brynderwyn Bus Crash and, 54 years later, remains the country's worst road accident.
Now a play, written by Helensville drama teacher and community theatre stalwart Naomi Bartley, will travel to some of the communities the ill-fated bus passed through that day and aims to tell the story of what happened and the legacy that remains for survivors and families of those who perished.
Bartley wanted to write Te Waka Huia to honour those who died by raising awareness of the tragedy and encouraging small communities to talk more openly about how they deal with grief. She says by touring the play, she may be able to gather more memories from those like the emergency services personnel who were first on the scene and hospital staff from Whangarei.
