Bell to toll in memory of 16 lives lost in fiery sea drama

Sixteen tolls of a ship's bell will resonate across Northland waters on Sunday to commemorate a shipping tragedy in which 16 lives were lost.
The event will mark the 30th anniversary of the loss of the Capitaine Bougainville off Whananaki South.
It will be the first time a public commemoration has been held at the site where a monument stands in memory of those who perished.
Among those there will be the captain of the Capitaine Bougainville, Jean Raymond Thomas, who will travel from France for the occasion.
Captain Thomas' own wife, infant daughter and stepson died off Whananaki that day after the lifeboat they were in overturned as it was lowered into the sea.
The Noumea-registered 3614-tonne cargo vessel Capitaine Bougainville, carrying a crew of 29 and eight passengers, was en route from Auckland to Sydney.
She encountered stormy weather less than a day into the voyage, and at about 2am on September 3 fire broke out in the engine room. Despite the crew's efforts to control the fire, by 2.40am it was out of control and all power had been lost.
The anchor was dropped to prevent the ship drifting and a radar fix indicated the vessel was then about two miles east of Sandy Bay.
Captain Thomas radioed for immediate assistance and made the call to abandon ship.
The burning vessel was caught in high winds, heavy rain and mountainous waves estimated at 12 metres. She was also caught in a strong current that swung the ship beam-on to the wind, making launching the lifeboats extremely hazardous.
Some lifeboats were broached and overturned.
Meanwhile, Whangarei police, led by Inspector Brian Wells, had taken charge of rescue operations and a search and rescue squad swung into action. Field headquarters were set up in a farmhouse at Sandy Bay, where the efforts of about 40 volunteers were co-ordinated. The first survivors came ashore at Whananaki South, a number of them suffering injuries from being dashed against the rocks.
Constables Ralph Davis and Lloyd Harris swam out to assist survivors still struggling in the surf.
But 16 people were already dead or missing.
A helicopter was used to locate survivors and ferry them to hospital, while a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft made sweeps over the burning ship, dropping markers above positions where bodies had been sighted. Police efforts to locate those still missing continued for five days.
Sunday's event will begin at the memorial at 10am and conclude at the Whananaki Hall. It is being organised by Northland police human resources assistant Janette Johns, communications officer Maria Cowin and Lloyd Harris, the policeman who helped rescue people that day 30 years earlier.
"We look forward to remembering those who died, paying our respects to those who survived, and acknowledging all those who took part in the recovery efforts," Ms Cowin said.
Members of the public are invited to attend the commemoration.
They may need gumboots or sturdy footwear for the 15-minute walk from the carpark to the memorial site, Ms Cowin said.
• The bell that will peal at the end of Sunday's ceremony was salvaged from the ship and usually sits in the foyer of Forum North.
The Capitaine Bougainville Theatre at Forum North is named after and partly built of materials salvaged from the ship.