New Zealand is contending with what, for them, is their worst ecological disaster ever, as a result of a container ship running aground on the East Coast of their North Island in the vicinity of some of the vacation beaches. gCaptain updates the story:

Much of the damage has been done. At least 350 tons of oil has already leaked from the boat and 88 containers which have fallen off the ship are now washing ashore.

An earlier report expressed concern regarding, “four containers of ferrosilicon, a solid matter that can give off hydrogen and cause a fire risk if it comes into contact with water.”

There is some Video here, and more here.