It's 100 years today since one of New Zealand's largest railway tragedies -- the Ongarue  disaster

The Auckland to Wellington overnight train derailed in Ongarue north of Taumarunui after hitting huge boulders in a massive landslide across the track.

Seventeen people died and 28 were injured -- Acetylene gas lighting caused a fire in one of the wooden carriages.

Railway & Locomotive Society historian Bill Prebble says it was the first major train catastrophe when passenger rail travel was in its heyday.

He says given the road conditions and lack of cars in that time, lots of people went by train.