THE CYCLONE OF 1936: THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE STORM OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY? - Meteorological Society of New Zealand
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Weather and Climate (2000) 20: 23-28 23
THE CYCLONE OF 1936: THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE STORM OF
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY?
Erick Brenstrum
MetService
In late January 1936 a weakening tropical of New Zealand on the 31st and intensified
cyclone m o v i n g t o w a r d s N e w Z e a l a n d then crossed the North Island on the 2nd of
interacted with a cold front over the north February. I t was not assigned a name, as the
Tasman Sea t o f o r m one o f the deepest practice of routinely naming tropical cyclones
depressions ever to cross the country. The did not begin until 1963.
meteorological aspects of the depression were
described in a report published by Barnett in FLOODING
1938. H e d i d n o t describe i n d e t a i l t h e
destruction caused by the storm, l i m i t i n g Heavy rain fell over the entire North Island
himself to the comment" Graphic descriptions bringing most of the major rivers into flood.
of the effects of the storm can be found in the The Mangakahia River in Northland rose 19
daily press for the few days following the 2nd metres a t Titoki. Kaitaia main-street was
February." flooded a m e t r e deep a n d one m a n was
The following article is a summary of the drowned there when a house was washed
accounts in the newspapers, and shows that away as he was trying to retrieve a friend's
this was probably the most destructive storm belongings. Another man was k i l l e d near
to affect New Zealand during the twentieth Thames in the Coromandel when his hut was
century. carried into a flooded stream by a slip.
The tropical cyclone formed south of the In Whangerei almost 300 mm of rain fell in
Solomon Islands on January 28 then moved 24 hours and floodwater r a n through the
southeast to pass between New Caledonia and business district tearing up footpaths and
Vanuatu. I t met up with the cold front north entering buildings. Gelignite was used in an24 The Cyclone of1936
unsuccessful attempt to clear driftwood piled time to dress themselves, and two had to swim
up against Victoria Bridge, which carried the to safety.
road t o Whangerei Heads, where several Torrential rain fell on the slopes of Mount
cottages were blown down. Pirongria, between Kawhia and Te Awamutu,
At Waitangi the river rose two and a half causing flash floods in the streams and gullies
metres in twenty minutes, forcing eight men running down its flanks. A huge landslide fell
sleeping on the floor of the Tung Oil Company's across the valley floor of the Ngrutunui stream
cookhouse to take refuge on the roof. When holding t h e f l o o d w a t e r u p l i k e a d a m .
the structure began to move they clambered Eventually, increased pressure carried away
into a tree, overhanging the cookhouse, which the obstacle, and an enormous body of water
was later carried away by the flood. A train swept down the riverbed with irresistible force,
was marooned by washouts near Kaikohe and carrying away a large bridge and damaging 4
60 passengers had to spend the n i g h t i n kilometres o f road. Both banks of the river
carriages. The railway bridge at Whakapara were swept clean of soil and vegetation.
25 k i l o m e t r e s n o r t h o f Whangerei w a s One observer saw rimu and kahikatea trees
destroyed, stopping rail traffic for days. borne along by the torrent rear up when their
I n one v a l l e y n o r t h o f K a u k a p a k a p a roots o r branches c a u g h t a g a i n s t some
floodwater was so deep a house was inundated obstacle, and topple end over end, with a crash
so t h a t only its chimneys were visible. The that could be heard a long way off. When the
public works settlement at Tangowahine was water subsided, he picked up 40 dead trout
flooded, and two young women, clad in their and counted hundreds of dead eels killed by
bathing suits, waded round in the dark waking the rushing timber and large boulders carried
the inhabitants of the cottages. Some had no along by the flood. Te n acres ploughed for
turnips on a farm were stripped down to bare
rock when the flood carried all the soil away.
Drowned sheep, cattle, pigs, and chickens,
mingled with trees, were seen floating down
rivers all over the North Island.
In Hawkes Bay, the Tukituki River flooded
the settlement of Clive, cutting the road and
rail l i n k between Napier and Hastings and
drowning 1500 sheep i n stock-yards. Two
railway buses were trapped when water broke
through the stop banks. The passengers were
carried to safety on the shoulders of rescuers
immersed up to their necks in the water. The
Tukituki also broke its banks at Waipukerau,
drowning thousands of cattle and sheep and
forcing the evacuation of 70 houses entered
by water over a metre deep. The Esk River
flooded to a width of more than one kilometre
and began t o f l o w d o w n a n old channel,
threatening the township, u n t i l the river-
mouth, which had been closed by the high sea,
was reopened.
Roads and railway lines were inundated by
flooding, a n d u n d e r m i n e d b y washouts,
bridges were destroyed and slips came down
in thousands all over the North Island. Near
Stratford the railway line was blocked by more
than a dozen slips, the biggest of which was
500 metres long and full of trees. Another slip
diverted a stream so that i t flowed a metre
deep through a tunnel, leaving it strewn withThe Cyclone of 1936 25
driftwood. A workman clearing one slip was Marlborough the roaring of the surf on Cloudy
nearly buried when another came down on top Bay beach was plainly audible in Blenhiem.
of him. Passengers on the Service Car from
New Plymouth to Wanganui waded through WIND DAMAGE
waist deep mud to transfer to a connecting
vehicle when the road was blocked by a slip. The wind blew in windows from Picton to
The Wanganui River inundated thousands Kaitaia, a n d b r o u g h t down hundreds o f
of acres o f farmland, entered a number of thousands of trees, cutting power, telephone
houses, and carried away two spans of the and telegraph lines all over the North Island.
Shell Oil Company's wharf. The Okehu water Palmerston North was hardest hit. Houses lost
pipeline was cut leaving the city with only one roofs, chimneys were blown down, and dozens
days supply. The nearby Whangaehu River of plate glass windows in the business district
rose almost t w o metres i n h a l f an hour, were blown in. The grandstands of the A&P
drowning hundreds o f sheep and flowing Association, the Awapuni Racecourse and the
through t h e W h a n g a e h u h o t e l . T h e Sportsground were demolished, and a man
Manawatu River rose five metres and flooded was killed when he was blown off his roof as
the Taonui basin, turning it into an inland sea. he tried to repair it. Hoardings, fences and
In the Wairarapa, the Ruamahanga River brick w a l l s were b l o w n over. O n e l a r g e
flooded farmland, cutting off Martinborough, building housing 12 cars collapsed like a pack
and the Waipoua flooded several streets i n of cards damaging all of the vehicles. Twenty-
Masterton. The Waiohine River flowed over eight large trees came down over the main
the m a i n h i g h w a y f o r a t i m e , a n d t h e power lines in one 120-metre stretch of road.
Rimutuka road was blocked by a large slip. A t r a i n was derailed near Makerua just
The Whareama River in eastern Wairarapa south o f Palmerston North. T h e l a s t two
flooded houses in Tinui and covered cars in carriages and the guard's van were caught by
the main street. At Kopuaranga, just north of the wind and thrown down a bank into the
Masterton, a 1 4 t o n t r a c t i o n e n g i n e Makerua swamp, which fortunately was dry.
disappeared into a river, normally only a metre Although the train had been travelling about
deep, and still had not been found several days 40km/h only five of the 30 or so people in the
later. carriages were b a d l y i n j u r e d , r e q u i r i n g
stitching f o r wounds a n d t r e a t m e n t f o r
STORM SURGE concussion. A n u m b e r o f empty r a i l w a y
wagons on sidings at Levin and Linton were
Storm surge occurred along the east coast blown over and the small railway station at
of the North Island, causing extreme high tides Karere was destroyed. Fallen trees blocked the
topped by large waves. At Te Kaha, in the Bay line between Levin and Otaki and passengers
of Plenty, a sea higher than any i n living had to cut through them w i t h axes before
memory washed a house into the ocean and trains could pass.
swept away eight fishing boats. The road was Nearby, at Manakau, a blacksmith shop and
washed away in some places, and in others parish hall were levelled to the ground, two
covered by heavy logs and piles of driftwood. large greenhouses were destroyed by falling
Near East Cape, huge seas entered the estuary trees, part of the roof of the dairy co-op lifted
of the Awatere River smashing part of a cordial off, and cream cans were scattered 150 metres
factory a t Te Araroa. E i g h t whales were down the road.
thrown up on the beach between Te Araroa A t Longburn, the Anglican church was
and East Cape. Fishing launches were driven demolished and scattered over the road and
ashore at Whitianga in the Coromandel. O n railway line. A hall also lost its roof, as did a
Waiheke I s l a n d a d i n g y l e f t t i e d t o a house, where the chimney also fell in. A horse
pohutukawa tree was found dangling like a on a nearby farm was cut in two by a flying
christmas decoration after five metres of beach sheet of corrugated iron. Three huts next to
was w a s h e d a w a y f r o m u n d e r i t . A t the railway station were blown over. One
Castlepoint, on the Wairarapa Coast, the sea somersaulted three times with the occupant
washed away t h e sandhills a n d invaded rolling about inside along with a heavy stove.
houses a hundred metres inland. In Wellington His wife had just stepped outside when the
the sea flooded the waterfront roads, and in hut lifted and toppled over missing her by half26 The Cyclone of1936
a metre. She was blown into a clump of willow its banks and covering the m a i n road a t
trees and from where she was extricated by Silverstream, and the Otaki rising to within a
the s t a t i o n m a s t e r. T h e occupant o f the foot o f the decking on the m a i n highway
adjacent hut was imprisoned when it landed bridge.
face down, and he had to cut his way out Among the more unusual effects o f the
through the floor. storm was the discovery, a t Taupo, of a red
The Fielding Aero club hanger was blown billed tropic bird (amokura), brought down by
away and the two planes inside destroyed. A the gales from the Kermadec Islands, which
motorist on the main road near Te Matai was lie a b o u t 1000 k i l o m e t r e s n o r t h e a s t o f
chased by a large corrugated iron tank, which Auckland. Tropic birds are rarely seen in New
raced across the paddock towards him. I t Zealand. According to the ornithologist Buller,
jumped the fence, but luckily only struck his Maori i n t h e N o r t h C a p e a r e a w o u l d
car a g l a n c i n g blow. E l s e w h e r e i n t h e systematically search the beaches for them
Manawatu, barns, woolsheds, and cowsheds after an easterly storm as they valued their
were destroyed, one breaking the leg of the red feathers, a n d traded t h e m south f o r
farmer inside it. greenstone.
The avenue of trees at Massey Agricultural Local birds also suffered in the storm. The
College was blown down over the road so that courtyard of the Friend's Hostel in Kelburn
the only way to get through was to make a was strewn with the bodies of scores of dead
detour the the college grounds. The college sparrows killed by the wind and rain. The
authorities objected to this and closed the hostel matron nursed several dozen more birds
gates. A motorist retaliated by filing through through the storm, keeping them warm in a
the padlock. shoebox.
Buildings were also destroyed in Taranaki.
In Inglewood, the badminton hall blew down AGRICULTURAL DAMAGE
and the Anglican Church lost its roof. In New
Plymouth t h e F r a n k l e i g h P a r k h a l l was The wind wrought havoc in orchards all over
destroyed. I n Waitara a number o f large the North Island, destroying a large portion
buildings disintegrated, and a 25 metre steel of the crop. In Henderson it was impossible to
and brick chimney was blown over, as was the walk through some orchards without standing
Harbour Board beacon tower. In Rotorua, the on fallen fruit. I n Wairoa apples and pears
historic A n g l i c a n m i s s i o n c h u r c h a t were seen flying horizontally for some distance
Ohinemutu was blown down. from the trees. Crops like maize, wheat and
Shop windows in Auckland were blown in oats were flattened f r o m Marlborough to
and some houses lost roofs. In Cornwall Park, Northland, and haystacks blew away in many
hundreds of trees were snapped off or uprooted places. I n Pukekohe, potato plants were
accompanied by sounds likened to cannon fire. sheared off at ground level. There were also
Falling trees brought down power lines in all cases of sheep and cattle being killed by falling
suburbs and also delayed trams The Auckland trees. Floodwaters destroyed crops of peas in
Gliding Club hanger disintegrated and all the Marlborough, strawberries and tomatoes i n
gliders were destroyed. Iron and wood was Wanganui, oats in Wairarapa and kumera in
strewn over hundreds of metres and one wing Northland.
was blown a kilometre away.
A hunter and a tramper died of exposure in DAMAGE TO SHIPPING
the Tararua Ranges north of Wellington. A t In Auckland, 40 boats were sunk or driven
the height o f the storm trees were being ashore in the Waitemata Harbour and several
uprooted from the ridges and thrown bodily more i n the Manukau Harbour. Two boats
into the valleys, and the Waiopehu hut was were wrecked on Rangitoto Island and the
blown i n t o a gully. Tr a m p e r s described occupants i n j u r e d o n t h e rocks as t h e y
whirlwinds in the gale twisting the crowns of clambered ashore. A fishing launch from New
trees around until all the braches splintered Plymouth was lost at sea and the father and
off. The trunks of some of these trees are still son crew presumed drowned. Two coastal
standing today, more than sixty years after traders suffered damage off the North Island's
they died. All of the rivers rising in the Tararua West Coast. Huge seas stove i n the crew's
Ranges were in flood: the Hutt river breaking quarters on one vessel and washed a half tonThe Cyclone of 1936 2 7
chest off the deck, while 20 sheep were killed DAMAGE B I L L
on the deck of the other vessel and another
four sheep washed overboard. I t is interesting to consider the cost of a
Numerous small boats were wreaked i n similar storm's damage were one to occur
Wellington Harbour and a coastal steamer was again. Cyclone Bola, i n 1988, h a s been
driven ashore near Kaiwharawhara. The only estimated to have caused $111 million damage
man on board was a caretaker, who was to Gisborne (Salinger 1998). Bola was slower
rescued by sliding down a rope sitting inside moving than the 1936 depression, and so the
a lifebelt. Pounding waves also washed away rainfall was greater and the flooding worse in
the ground underneath the railway line near those regions t h a t bore the b r u n t o f Bola.
Ngahauranga, l e a v i n g h a l f t h e t r a c k s Using the rough rule of thumb that no province
suspended in mid-air. Part of the Te Aro baths in 1936 suffered more than half the damage
in Oriental Bay blew away and was chased done to t h e Gisborne region by Bola, b u t
across the water b y the Harbour Board's allowing for the fact that the whole North
launch. Island was badly damaged in 1936, yields an
Disaster was only narrowly averted when estimate of roughly $800 million damage for
the inter-island ferry Rangatira steamed into a repeat o f the 1936 storm. T h i s r o u g h
Red Rocks five kilometres t o the west o f estimate could doubtless be improved upon by
Wellington Harbour mouth in winds almost economists looking i n close d e t a i l a t t h e
as bad as the day 32 years later when the damage t h a t occurred i n 1936 a n d also
Wahine sank. After twenty minutes stuck fast considering what new expensive targets now
the ship was able to reverse off the rocks then litter the landscape. However, i t makes a
turn and back slowly along the coast and into useful s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r e v a l u a t i n g t h e
the harbour, taking water in through gaping economic impact of a similar storm in the near
holes in her bow. Her propellers were half out future.
of the water by the time she grounded next to
the C l y d e Q u a y w h a r f , a n d h e r l o w e r REFERENCES
passenger decks were awash. Fortunately, Barnett M.A.F. The Cyclonic Storms i n Northern New
none of the 800 passengers and crew suffered Zealand on 2nd February and the 26th March 1936.
serious injury, although many were plainly Department o f Scientific and Industrial Research
terrified by their experience. Meteorological Office Note No.22.1938
Salinger J in Awesome Forces Edited by Geoff Hicks and
Hamish Campbell published by Te Papa Press 1998You can also read
