NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS AND TRAGEDIES
MOUNT EGMONT/TARANAKI
CLIMBING DEATHS 1891 - 1959

The following are taken from the book Egmont, The Story of a Mountain by Arthur Brian Scanlen [Wellington, NZ: A H & A W Reed,1961] Thanks to Peter Trask for these.

As at the 26 October 1913 the death toll on Mt Egmont/Taranaki had reached 82.

Fatality No. Date Name of Victim Age Starting Place Brief Description of Cause of Fatality
1 April 2, 1891 William Henry SOUTHWOOD 23 Stratford Slipped at the summit and fell over 30 foot bluff. Body not recovered till next climbing season.
2 April 10, 1898 Charles Roger BEAUMONT of Hawera 45 Dawson Falls Rev W T Murray left Dawson Falls between 4.00 and 5.00am and reached the summit. Beaumont fell 2-300 feet in fog - badly injured, McGeoch tried to reach him and slipped also, injuring his back. Both died of exposure. Bodies found at 12.10pm next day. Doctor reported that McGeoch's back wouldn't have prevented him walking.
3 April 10, 1898 John Thompson McGEOCH of Hawera 29
4 May 15, 1905 Frederick George KING c30 North Egmont Inquest - Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 344, 21 March 1910, Page 8
5 January 26, 1913 Miss Evelyn OXENHAM of New Plymouth 22 North Egmont Lost her way and died of exposure.
6 April 22, 1915 Henry Alfred PEARCE of Ngaio, Wellington 31 Fantham's Peak Inquest - Wanganui Chronicle , Issue 20341, 29 April 1915, Page 7
7 June 3, 1918 William Edwin GOURLAY of New Plymouth 20 North Egmont Party consisting of W E Gourlay, N Fookes, RB McDonald. Climbed to summit. Glissaded down but lost footing
8 June 3, 1918 Arthur Hamilton AMBURY of New Plymouth 37 McDonald hurt his back. Gourlay tried following steps cut on ascent but lost his nerve and called for help. A second party consisting of A H and Mrs Ambury, T V Mackay and C G Bottrill heard the calls and went to assist. Gourlay slipped and Ambury dug his alpenstock into ice and attempted to arrest Gourlay's slide. The alpenstock broke and Ambury lost his footing. Both fell 800 to 1000 feet at the head of Humphries Valley. On Good Friday, 1919, a memorial was unveiled on the track above North Egmont Hostel in honour of Arthur and in October 1919, Mrs Ambury was presented with the Albert Medal on behalf of her husband.
9 January 30, 1923 Rev William Tullibanrdine MURRAY Presbyterian Minister of Normanby 52 Dawson Falls Murray left with a party including Rev. E J Orange of Eltham but on the summit Murray decided to descend to North Egmont and return to Dawson Falls via Round the Mountain Track. Appears to have descended to close proximity to Kahui Hut. Followed trach towards Holly Track but stopped by a bluff. Made a fire from pages from his prayer book and tussock. Next day attempted to climb back up the mountain and got to 7000 feet. Stayed another night and left a sole of his boot at his camp on which he wrote WTM 31-1-23. Descended Minipara Stream but disappeared. No sign was ever found of the body.
10 November 11, 1925 Rev. Arthur Oscar BLUNDELL Presbyterian Minister 52 North Egmont Blundell and a companion crossed the Pouakai Range in bad weather and opted not to stay in the comfortless Holly Hutt. Blundell collapsed from exhaustion and died of exposure before help arrived.
11 May 11, 1927 Fenton Henry LATHAM, Noel Arthur BAINES Masters of Wanganui Collegiate School 49 35 Dawson Falls Both were masters from Wanganui Collegiate. The party of four slipped on ice while returning from summit. Two survived.
12 February 24, 1929 Arthur Ronald MOSS of Stratford 22 West Egmont Killed by falling rock
13 September 8, 1929 William Clement ALLEN 21 Humphries Castle Died from exposure whilst walking to Stratford Mountain House and back wearing light shirt and shorts.
14 August 4, 1930 Lance Vernon GIBSON 33 North Egmont Andrew Haldane, Sam Taggert and Lance Gibson missed track in blizzard conditions while attempting a rescue and sheltered in bush. Gibson warmly dressed on the upper body but wearing shorts collapsed and died.
15 January 21, 1937 Philip Kenneth Harold MATHEWS 19 Dawson Falls After bivouacing at summit Mathews, who was heading for Symes Hut where his 11 year old cousin was staying, lost his footing at Mackays Rocks. His body found at the head of the Manganui Gorge,
16 September 15, 1940 Oswald Joseph RILEY 25 Dawson Falls Killed by falling rock
17 April 12, 1941 Claude Howard ILTON 28 Curtis Ridge New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23939, 14 April 1941, Page 6
18 April 6, 1947 Graeme Everard ADAMS 17 Stratford Fell on ice slope on Stratford side.
19 July 26, 1953 Keith Gladstone RUSSELL 25 North Egmont Russell was chief guide taking a group of Nurses Tramping Club members from New Plymouth Hospital on a summit climb. There were 31 in six roped groups together reaching the summit by 3.30pm. On the descent, the ice froze harder and powdered snow blew into the steps cut previously. Russell was the only one with an ice-axe, the others had ice-sticks. At 6.30pm the group had reached the last dangerous slope before reaching a safe ridge above the Tahurangi Hut. In moonlight, some of the climbers who had safely returned to the hut, turned around and went to the aid of those still returning. Derek N Quickfall offered to tie himself to the group but Russell told him to save time to go ahead and clear the steps. As the party were traversing the last slope, the two in front of Russell slipped from their steps. Russell made a belay with his ice-axe and they were returned to their steps. Quickfall was wearing crampons and when the leading girl slipped he tried to hold the rope but it was torn from his hands. Russell managed to use his ice-axe as a brake but they gathered speed and disappeared down the slope. McBeth and Thomlinson were the only survivors of the fall but McBeth died in hospital the next day.
20 July 26, 1953 Andrew LORNIE 17
21 July 26, 1953 Mrs Ruth Olive CALDWELL 29
22 July 26, 1953 Miss Julie Guida CASSELS 18
23 July 26, 1953 Miss Janet CAMERON 20
24 July 26, 1953 Ellen Beverley McBETH 19
July 26, 1953 A C THOMLINSON (Survived) 19
25 August 1, 1953 Maurice Geoffrey ROGERS 21 Dawson Falls The two inexperienced climbers were roped together and up above the Manganui Hut. They were poorly equiped for a summit climb and it is believed that they weren't trying to go very high but discovered it was more dangerous to descend than ascend. To the consternation of observers far below the two were seen at 3.45pm climbing higher and were about 7,700 feet when darkness descended. That night the weather deteriorated and the next day their bodies were found close to where the nurses had slipped the Sunday before. They had fallen more than 1000 feet and a watch worn by one had stopped at 8.30.
26 August 1, 1953 Hector James HICKEY 28
27 May 15, 1954 Miss Jennifer Jill PEASE 21 North Egmont Killed by a falling rock while climbing on the Lizard Route.
28 July 18, 1954 Dr. Alan Robin ANDERSON 24 Dawson Falls Slipped and fell over a bluff near Kapuni Lodge after removing his skis.
29 June 20, 1959 Keith Laurence HAYNES 27 East Egmont Fell on ice near Bobs Bluff and was dead when rescuers found him next morning.


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