A stormy winter night 21 years ago saw 25-year-old Iraena Asher go missing from Piha, a small town on the west coast of Auckland. She had been out partying at a friend's house and called police for assistance, saying she could not cope on her own. A taxi was despatched to the incorrect address. She was later discovered by local residents Julia Woodhouse and her grown son wandering in the streets in light clothes. They took her home, providing food, clothes, and a bed. In spite of it all, Asher escaped at midnight and was last spotted heading towards the sea, vanishing into the darkness.
Asher's vanishing left Piha stunned, a wound that remains unfilled until today. Five additional individuals have disappeared in the same location within the last thirty years, a mystery surrounding this town. The victims are Quentin Godwin (1992), Cherie Vousden (2012), Kim Bambus (2015), Guoquan Wu (2019), and Eloi Rolland (2020). In the majority of instances, no apparel or remains were ever found. Although some coroners have designated certain deaths as suicide or accident, others, such as Asher and Rolland, are unsolved.
Piha, whose white cliffs, dark sand beaches, and heavily forested surrounding hills are both beautiful and deadly, is as gorgeous as it is dangerous. The region is New Zealand's second-most hazardous for drownings, and residents are used to the strength of the ocean. Residents indicated that the disappearances have changed the feeling of safety of the community. "It changed people's comfort," Peter Brown, head of the South Piha Surf Club, said to the Guardian. "In a small community, everyone knows everyone, and everyone has an idea.
Others propose evil forces could be operating. Former mayor and local politician Sir Bob Harvey has suggested a possible connection between the cases based on the appearance of the victims, mode of disappearance, and absence of body recovery. "They have vanished without a trace no shoe, no bag," he said. Although some think foul play is afoot, police insist there is nothing to link the incidents.
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The 2024 film Black Coast Vanishings examines the vanishing, interviewing relatives, locals, and experts and analyzing cycles of violence, drug use, and sexual abuse in Piha. Filmmakers Candida Beveridge and Megan Jones wanted to know if these tragedies were one-offs or symptomatic of deeper issues in the community.
The show has fuelled ire among residents. Some appreciate it as a means to voice long-suppressed accounts, whereas others fear it trivializes the community. The testimonies exposed women stalked, pursued, and injured, revealing ongoing threats in Piha. The police, however, have claimed that none of the tips following the broadcast have generated further investigation, and they still treat the cases as unrelated.
In spite of the furore, the show has cast a spotlight on Piha's darker past, evoking questions about safety, fairness, and whether more could have been done to safeguard the community from further disappearances. For residents and audience alike, Piha's now haunting loveliness is accompanied by a lingering sense of disquiet.
