On Wednesday 3 July 1963 at 8:21 am, DC-3 Skyliner ZK-AYZ Hastings
left Whenuapai Airport, Auckland, on a flight to Tauranga.
Conditions were stormy, with wind and low cloud. At 9:06 am the
pilot contacted the Tauranga aircraft control tower and gave an
estimated arrival time of 9:08 am, and requested permission to
begin his descent. When the control tower tried to make contact at
9:14 am and again at 9:16 am, there was no reply from ZK-AYZ.
This wing in the gully makes a sobering
sight
A Court of Enquiry into the crash later concluded that at the
time of the accident the winds were much stronger than had been
forecast. The plane would have been drifting west of the planned
route without the crew being aware of it. The pilot probably
thought he was on the eastern (Tauranga) side of the Kaimai Ranges.
He therefore began his descent to Tauranga Airport from the wrong
position. During its descent the aircraft was caught in a
downdraught that was too turbulent for the pilot to climb out of.
The DC-3 slammed into a ridge on Mount Ngatamahinerua in the Kaimai
Range.
Deteriorating weather conditions hampered the rescue operation.
Search and Rescue personnel and soldiers from the New Zealand Army
joined the search with workers from Gordon Quarry, but they were
also driven back by the strong winds and heavy rain. A helicopter
assisted a RNZAF Bristol Freighter to search the ridgelines. The
wreckage was found at 11:58 a.m. A closer inspection by helicopter
was unable to spot any survivors and rescuers were dropped as near
to the site as possible. They were unable to make their way to the
wreckage that day. The weather cleared the next day and the
recovery operation began, using a second helicopter. Ministers
flown in by helicopter and hovering above the site of the crash
held a short church service before recovery of the bodies
began.
The plane had flown into a vertical rock face. Fire had
destroyed almost all of the plane wreckage, and 22 of those on
board died instantly. One person survived the impact but died soon
after. Unfortunately, in the period after the crash, the site was
not respected by souvenir hunters and the army was sent in to blast
some of the cliff down onto the wreckage to try and bury it.
However, many pieces of the ill-fated DC3 are still scattered
about, mainly in a ravine below the crash site.
The 45 years since the crash have completely erased any sign of
the tragedy from the cliffs, but someone long ago placed a
beautifully simple memorial in the ground at the point where most
of the wreckage came to rest below it.
The climb up the 850m high ridge is a challenge but well within
the capability of an experienced tramper when the weather is fine.
The crash site is located close to the old Kaimai North-South
track. This track has recently been upgraded on the northern side
only to allow access into the recently refurbished Kauritatahi Hut.
The most direct route is via Thompsons Track from either the west
or eastern side of the Kaimais. Far from being a trampers delight,
Thompsons Track is a 4 wheel drivers playground. By this I mean do
not even think about driving up here in your Remuera tractor -
you'll need high ground clearance and off-road tyres as well as a
somewhat sick sense of humour. It is a serious mudfest whichever
way you do it. It's around 8kms of wallowing to the top of the
track from the western side, and about 6kms from the eastern
side.
Follow Thompsons Track south along the range almost all the way
to the top until you see an orange marker leading you out of the
mud to the left. Follow this track for about 15 minutes until you
come across the junction with the old North-South track. This is
well signposted. Turn right here and continue up the eastern side
of Mt Ngatamahinerua. There are wonderful views looking out over
the Bay of Plenty. After about half an hour you'll get to the
waypoint shown below, where you'll find a tree with some very faint
pink paint on your right. Follow the short, unmarked track up and
over the hill to your right. Descend the slip on the western side
and you will find a faint track of sorts off to the left down lower
which will lead you to the cache.
The cache is a 1 litre container hidden just a few metres before
the clearing where the remains of the little wooden memorial and
some of the crash debris can be found just below. After spending
some time trying to find a way in to the actual site (without the
luxury of a waypoint, Kapt Undies & I missed the pink tree -
but did find the hut!), we were running short of time to explore
further.
For those of you who are feeling adventurous and want to explore
the wreckage further, please see Zorgon's very informative log
dated 10th April 2011.
Please visit this area with some reverence. Bear in mind that 23
people lost their lives here and some of the bodies were never
recovered. Please be respectful and do not souvenir.
To get to Kauritatahi Hut (see waypoint below), go back to the
pink tree and continue south. There is a tricky short rock scramble
3 minutes on which is not safe for kids - take care. You will reach
the hut in about half an hour of easy walking. There are 4 bunks,
drinking water and great views.
A memorial was dedicated on 5 July 2003, on the 40th anniversary
of the crash at Gordon, near Matamata. If you haven't visited
Psychrn’s ‘Kaimai Memorial’ (GC1HGXM) already, it
would make a nice stop on the way home if you're heading back that
way. It's interesting to see that the memorial says the crash site
was 9km away, when it was in fact only about half that distance. As
the track to the site remains unmarked, this is perhaps another
means of deterring people from spoiling this peaceful place.