20 November

Mass murder in the Bay of Islands

1841 Mass murder in the Bay of Islands

Maketū Wharetōtara, the 17-year-old son of the Ngāpuhi chief Ruhe, killed five people at Motuarohia in the Bay of Islands. In March 1842 he became the first person to be legally executed in this country. Read more...
Parachuting Santa crashes in Auckland

1937 Parachuting Santa crashes in Auckland

George Sellars narrowly escaped serious injury when he was able to swing his parachute away from the glass roof of the Winter Gardens during the Farmers’ Christmas parade in Auckland. Read more...