RootsChat.Com

Thank you jorose for those links,
shows the fire was 15 Aug 1928 and the children were back in the home on 3 November, just damaged and not burnt down. 
Have more dates now to work with and see what else pops up.
Cheers
HeatherR

My mother, Agnes, was born 1917 and her sister, Susan, born 1920 were placed in a Home after their mother died in 1922. Another sister, Mary, born in 1921 stayed with her father.
 Family lore has it that the home burnt down and after that my mother was adopted by her fathers aunt and uncle and Susan by one of their married daughters.
The amended Birth registration for my mother is dated 1931 and her sister 1928. If they were both adopted after the fire I would have thought the registration year would be the same, maybe Uncle & Aunt just took a while to consider it. 
 If someone can help with the year of the fire then I could see how it fits with the adoption dates.
Have searched for a home burning down but all I have found is a mention on a web site that some records were lost in a fire with no other details.
The family lived in Petone so maybe there will be school records somewhere that could help with when they moved there.
Any help would be appreciated
Cheers
HeatherR

Have had a reply from "The Librarian" and she had found a couple of newspaper clippings about a Jack King, who may or may not be this Jack King, one in Mackay and one in Innisfail, and some other possibilities to follow up that may help to discover why he just  seems to disappear.
Cheers
Hetty

Thank you maddys52 will try that, had a really good response from a question asked of the Christchurch one a few years ago, hope they are all as helpful and knowledgeable.

Ordered the Death Cert and it came back with "No Image available. Will be posted to your nominated delivery address once processed by the registry"
So don't know if I didn't press the right button at some stage or if hasn't been scanned, or whatever is done to make it an Image.