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The second greatest loss of life in New Zealand waters came in 1881 when 131 people died in the wreck of the Tararua. On a voyage from Port Chalmers to Melbourne, the ship struck a reef off Waipapa Point, Southland, at 5 a.m. on 29 April. A passenger swam ashore to raise the alarm, but the rough sea made it too dangerous to take people off. The ship began to break up, and the passengers climbed the rigging. They hung on until 2.35 a.m. the next morning, when those on the beach heard piercing shrieks. By daybreak the ship had sunk, and bodies were floating ashore. Only 20 of the crew and passengers were saved. Six weeks after the Tararua sank, the papers were still full of some of the strange stories resulting from the event. Source: Gerard Hutching, 'Shipwrecks - Perils of the sea: 19th century', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/7286/wreck-of-the-tararua (accessed 28 December 2019)
See also: Christchurch City Libraries https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/tararua-shipwreck/
131 people died (including 12 women and 14 children):
List still to be populated. See https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nzbound/tararua1881.htm