Weeping Waters

by Anne Maria Nicholson

On Christmas Eve 1953, shortly after 10pm a lahar (torrent of water) gushed out of the crater of Mount Ruapehu and swept down the valley, fatally weakening a railway bridge, minutes before a packed overnight express train nose-dived into a river at tangiwai, in the centre of the North Island. Many of the 285 passengers, mostly families and young people, were asleep and 151 perished in one of the world's worst train disasters. For Maori the tragedy was inevitable. the train track should never have been built across the volcano's path . . . tangiwai means weeping waters and was known as the place of torrential flows and death. In Weeping Waters, the memories of tangiwai drive those who live there fifty years on to look for ways to tame Ruapehu, where another deadly lahar is building. Set between 1953 and the present day the novel is based on events surrounding the tangiwai disaster and the conflict that still exists. While the characters and incidents are invented, many of the 1953 survival and rescue stories are based on true events. When a young Vulcanologist comes to research early warning systems on the mountain, she finds herself in the middle of a raging debate between local landowners, iwi and government agencies. With a hidden agenda of her own she finds herself torn between two men, each on opposing sides of the argument.

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2006

Reviews

[Cally73 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story worked better when focused on the scientific and cultural rather than the romantic which I found fairly unbelievable. There seemed to be an awful lot of telling rather than showing and some things would seem to come out of nowhere, e.g. when Frances thinks Sam's attractive. Should have been right at first meeting not after some time, especially when it was so random. Frances's past relationship was pointless and it would have been far better to concentrate on developing other inter-personal relationships. I would have liked to know why Frances took out American citizenship - I assume to make it easier for work, but a simple line could have explained this. While the tangi scenes were interesting, it would have had more impact if we had been given the chance to know the character and "grieve" along side the mourners. There were some medical inaccuracies at the end and it's been years since we had nursing sisters in New Zealand. As for the Tangiwai disaster, I didn't have a problem with few created characters to tell Frances's story, but I don't like it when an author gives fake names to real people. To me it is disrespectful.

I see that the author has written a further book with Frances, that seems to follow pretty much the same plot-line. I think I'll pass.

[Lesley Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at a second hand bookstore as we were traveling to walk the Tongariro Crossing. It was interesting to read the Tangiwai story as we were hiking around the mountain, and easy to imagine both the devastation of the Tangiwai disaster and the powerful relationship that local Maori had with these mighty volcanoes.

I was intrigued by the first person narrative sections from the crash. The terror of the moment was effectively captured.

That said, I struggled with aspects of the narrative. The terrible consequences of being close to an erupting volcano are downplayed, the injuries would be far more devastating than flying rocks and dust. A little more research would reveal the impact of the acid fumes that erupt with the rocks, the powerful wind, and the damage to skin and lungs.

I found the relationship between Tori and Frances unconvincing. Too fast? Pacing wasn’t right, given the drama swirling around them.

A good read, giving context to a tragic event.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really emotional in parts and very informative. The Tangiwai train disaster is something I knew of only in an abstract form as it happened well before my birth. The flashback accounts of survivors made it feel very real and completely devastating and horrific for those who survived and the rescuers who helped out. I also loved the Maori perspective interspersed through the tale. The modern day part of the tale is a bit more contrived and feels like the ending was rushed a bit but still a good read.

[Briar Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book love how she sets it in New Zealand amazing book worth 6stars or more

[BookCrazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had good points and bad, thus the 3 star review (I wish the option for 2.5 existed). The excerpts from the survivors of the train wreck caused by the lahar, which open each chapter are excellent. These make the disaster and its aftermath poignant and personal. As the train wreck had a direct impact on several of the characters and drives the story, along with the volcano that caused the lahar, I had hoped for more compelling writing.

The main characters are Hollywood stereotypes. Only the main protagonist has a back story, the rest are stock characters. For a book where a volcano is an important player, the science is at a 5th grade level - or was Googled. There didn't seem to be any reason for the romances or the jealousies that occurred. And that's part of the problem. I think that if the author had chosen to write a much longer book exploring the characters, their interactions, the Maori myths, the political issues vs the science vs First Nations rights this would have been a much better book.

Several things that occur are just laughable - the scene in the hospital after the protagonist is hurt on the mountain came right out of a Lifetime movie. No one hurt like she was would have a cast on her arm, had her hair "freshly washed" and ready for visitors in the time described. And then there was the obligatory sex scene. It did not fit the story, the writing was awkward, and it was unnecessary.

I finished the book wishing I'd read a different story- one that wasn't written, but could have been.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frances, a British seismologist, moves from the USA to Taupo, New Zealand, to join a research team studying increased volcanic activity on Mt Ruapehu. Tensions are running high locally between factions who want to bulldoze the crater to try and prevent a recurrence of the 1953 Tangiwai disaster, when a lahar destroyed a railway bridge, sending a train crashing into the river, killing 153 people in one of the country's worst disasters, and the local Maori who feel the mountain should be left alone. Frances is an expert in early warning systems and believes this is the best way of saving lives if the mountain erupts again. She has a personal interest as her parents were involved in the 1953 disaster, which changed their lives.
Written with flashbacks to 1953 from various participants, but set in the present, it's a romance with a lot of interesting geological detail, as well as descriptions of the Maori belief systems and culture. I didn't like the present tense style of writing - which has become trendy recently, but I find it distracting; otherwise I enjoyed it, and feel I learned a lot about Tangiwai.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to read with local interest. Hope Ruapehu doesn't blow again in a hurrry!