When Peter Cotterill begins his diary in 1953, little does he realise that something is happening elsewhere in New Zealand that is going to have a huge impact on his life. As he tells of his day to day life in Napier: school, paper round, Scouts, as well as the lasting effects of World War II on his friends and family, the forces of nature are at work, culminating in an event so tragic that it will shock a whole nation. That was, of course, the Tangiwai rail disaster on Christmas Eve 1953, as a result of the Tangiwai bridge being washed away by a lahar from Mt Ruapehu.
