Today in History
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Kiwi of the Week
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Historic NZ events in February
Feb
1
1981 Trevor Chappell bowls underarm
Trans-Tasman sporting relations reached breaking point at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Australian captain Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to bowl underarm for the final delivery of a limited-overs cricket international against New Zealand. more...
1842 First NZ Company settlers arrive in Nelson
The Fifeshire arrives in Nelson with the first immigrants for the New Zealand Company's latest venture, following Wellington, New Plymouth and Wanganui. more...
Feb
2
1974 ‘The greatest middle distance race of all time’
In an amazing Commonwealth Games 1500-metre final, New Zealand’s John Walker broke the old world record but still finished second. Tanzanian Filbert Bayi won in a new world record time of 3 minutes 32.16 seconds. more...
Feb
3
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake strikes
New Zealand's deadliest earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, destroys much of central Napier and Hastings, with the loss of more than 250 lives. more...
Links
- New Zealand disasters timeline
- Hawke's Bay earthquake (Hastings District Council)
- New Zealand disasters: Napier earthquake (Chch City Libraries)
- Clock Tower (Historic Places Trust)
- Hawke's Bay earthquake (1966 encyclopaedia)
- The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake (Te Ara)
- Hawke's Bay disaster film (Archives NZ)
Feb
4
1975 First woman to swim Cook Strait
American Lynne Cox became the first woman to swim across Cook Strait, battling heavy seas and strong winds in her 12-hour crossing.
more...
1985 Nuclear stand-off: USS Buchanan refused entry to NZ
The New Zealand Labour government refused the USS Buchanan entry on the grounds that the United States would neither confirm nor deny that the ship had nuclear capability. more...
Feb
5
1867 Opening of railway from Invercargill to Bluff
The 27-kilometre line between Invercargill and Bluff was the third public railway in New Zealand, but Southland's rail ambitions helped drive the province towards bankruptcy. more...
Feb
6
1947 Liner Wanganella refloated after 18 days on Barrett Reef
The liner, carrying 400 passengers, had struck Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour on 19 January. Only a spell of unusually fine weather - dubbed 'Wanganella weather' by locals - saved it from becoming a total wreck. more...
1840 The Treaty of Waitangi is signed
Around 40 Maori chiefs, led by Hone Heke, sign the Treaty of Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. more...
Feb
7
1863 Sinking of HMS Orpheus, NZ's worst shipwreck
The Royal Navy steam corvette HMS Orpheus was wrecked on the treacherous Manukau Harbour bar. Of the 259 men on board, 189 lost their lives in New Zealand's worst maritime disaster. more...
Feb
8
1931 First fatalities on a scheduled air service in NZ
All three on board a Dominion Airline DeSoutter were killed in a crash near Wairoa. The airline had helped maintain contact between the areas ravaged by the recent Hawke's Bay earthquake and the rest of New Zealand. more...
Feb
9
1900 Wanganui Opera House opened
Opened by Premier Richard Seddon, this large wooden building has served as one of Wanganui's finest entertainment venues for over 100 years more...
1770 James Cook completes circumnavigation of North Island
The Endeavour's arrival at Cape Turnagain confirms that a circumnavigation of the North Island has been completed. more...
Feb
10
1967 End of free school milk
The school milk scheme started in 1937 as part of the first Labour government's strategy to improve child health by providing half a pint of milk to each New Zealand child. more...
Feb
11
1864 Major Charles Heaphy recommended for the VC
Recommended for rescuing a soldier while under fire, Heaphy was eventually awarded the VC in 1867 - the only one awarded to a member of the colonial forces serving in New Zealand. more...
Feb
12
1909 SS Penguin wrecked in Cook Strait
The Picton-Wellington ferry SS Penguin struck rocks in Cook Strait and sank in heavy seas off a rugged, isolated coast. Only 30 of the 105 people on board survived. more...
Feb
13
1869 Killings at Pukearuhe
A Ngati Maniapoto war party sacked the redoubt at Pukearuhe (White Cliffs), northern Taranaki, killing a number of military settlers. Later that day, the missionary John Whiteley also fell victim.
more...
Feb
14
1915 Maori soldiers sail to war
Imperial policy initially opposed the idea of 'native peoples' fighting in a war among Europeans. In February 1915, though, a 500-strong Native Contingent left Wellington for Egypt. more...
1872 Te Kooti fights government forces for last time
Government forces led by Captain Preece tackle Te Kooti for the last time west of Lake Waikaremoana. Te Kooti eventually withdraws to the King Country. more...
Feb
15
1882 First shipment of frozen meat leaves NZ
The Dunedin sailed from Port Chalmers with the first refrigerated cargo destined for Britain, pioneering the frozen meat and dairy trade that would become the cornerstone of the New Zealand economy. more...
1978 New Zealand beats England in a cricket test for the first time
Chasing 137 for victory in the first test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, England are bowled out for a paltry 64, with Richard Hadlee capturing 6 for 26. more...
Feb
16
1770 James Cook sights Banks 'Island'
Cook sights Banks Peninsula. The following day he concludes it is an island and names it after the expedition's botanist, Joseph Banks. more...
Feb
17
1873 'The Russians are coming!'
The editor of the Daily Southern Cross, David Luckie, published a hoax report of a Russian invasion of Auckland by the cruiser Kaskowiski (cask of whisky). more...
Feb
18
1982 'Queen of Crime' Ngaio Marsh dies
Newsweek described her novels as 'the best whodunits ever written'. Marsh was also an artist, playwright, actor and director. The New York Times called her New Zealand's best-known literary figure. more...
1957 New Zealand's last hanging
Wanganui farmer Walter Bolton, aged 68, is hanged at Mount Eden Prison after being controversially convicted of murdering his wife, Beatrice. The death penalty was abolished in 1961. more...
Feb
19
1938 21 drown in Kopuawhara flash flood
A sudden cloudburst sent a 5-metre wall of water surging through a railway construction camp at Kopuawhara, near Mahia, drowning 21 people. more...
1883 Release of Parihaka leaders Te Whiti and Tohu
Parihaka had become the symbol of opposition to the government policy of land confiscation in the aftermath of the NZ Wars. Te Whiti and Tohu were imprisoned without trial after the occupation of Parihaka in November 1881. more...
Feb
20
1954 Yvette Williams sets world long jump record
Two years after winning the long jump gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Williams set a new world record of 20 feet 7 1/2 inches (6.29 metres) at an athletics meeting in Gisborne. more...
Feb
21
1879 Kaitangata mining disaster
An underground explosion at Kaitangata, Otago, killed 34 coal miners. The accident results in stricter control of mining. more...
Feb
22
1902 Kelburn cable car opens
Wellington's iconic cable car began service as part of a plan to provide residents of the developing hill suburb of Kelburn with quick access to Lambton Quay. more...
Feb
23
1940 100,000 welcome home HMS Achilles crew
The
1904 First step in creation of Fiordland National Park
940,000 hectares of west Southland were permanently reserved for a national park. The 1952 National Parks Act formally created what has become New Zealand's largest national park and one of the largest in the world. more...
Feb
24
1870 Last detachment of Imperial forces leaves New Zealand
The final detachment of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment departs New Zealand, leaving the Armed Constabulary (formed in 1867) responsible for New Zealand's internal defence. more...
1902 End of the battle of Langverwacht Hill
Twenty-four New Zealanders were killed in this battle during the South African (Boer) War. A total of 234 New Zealanders died while on service in New Zealand's first overseas war. more...
Feb
25
1943 49 killed in Featherston POW riot
Forty-eight Japanese POWs and one guard were killed in the riot. News of the incident was kept quiet until 1945 for fear of retribution against Allied prisoners in Japanese camps. more...
Feb
26
1844 'Pistols at dawn': deadly duel in Wellington
Two Wellington lawyers, W.V. Brewer and H. Ross, drew pistols over a legal difference in Wellington. Brewer fired into the air but 'received Mr. Ross' ball in the groin'. He died several days later. more...
Feb
27
1951 Troops deployed in waterfront dispute
The government ordered the armed forces to begin handling cargo at the ports of Auckland and Wellington as the waterfront dispute escalated. more...
Feb
28
1945 Kiwi soldier faces Nazi firing squad
After more than a year on the run in northern Italy, former New Zealand prisoner of war David Russell was recaptured and executed. His courage in the face of death earned him the George Cross. more...
Feb
29
1964 Opening of first road to Maungapohatu
A milling road provided the first vehicle access to the tiny Urewera settlement of Maungapohatu – famous as the former home of the prophet Rua Kenana more...
