The tanker driver and seven others were taken to hospital. The driver was discharged that day. Worst injured was Nick Wallbridge. A rescue helicopter flew him to Waikato Hospital and his parents and 8-year-old brother flew from their Sunshine Coast home to be at his side.
As the others were discharged from hospital and boarded flights home to Australia, Nick remained in intensive care.
By early last week, though, "all his tubes were out" and he was "speaking and eating", Noosa Pengari Steiner principal Allen Kloeden told the Herald on Sunday.
"He's got a little bit of internal damage to be monitored but he's woken up and is talking to his parents."
Nick's parents had shared his first words, Mr Kloeden said.
"They said the first thing he asked was, 'How are the other staff and students?' His parents did tell him [two died] and that was a bit hard for him. But lots of people have been there with him."
Although he was in a lot of pain Nick, had already started physio.
A hospital spokeswoman confirmed that Nick remained in a stable condition.
Mr Kloeden said his parents did not know when he would return to Australia.
"They're talking several weeks ... but they don't know if he'll stay until he's discharged or if he'll be medically evacuated back to a hospital."
