Historic Earthquakes

Sites

Edgecumbe Earthquake, Bay of Plenty - 1987

On the afternoon of 2 March 1987, at 1:42 PM, the Bay of Plenty region was rocked by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. The earthquake was the most damaging New Zealand has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged. Fact file from Christchurch City Libraries.

Inangahua Earthquake, - West Coast - 1968

Inangahua was devastated by an earthquake in 1968 which left 70 percent of the dwellings in the town uninhabitable. Fact file from Christchurch City Libraries.

Murchison Earthquake - 1929

On 17 June 1929, at 10.17 a.m., a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the northern South Island. It was felt in cities and towns all over New Zealand, but it was half a day before authorities realised that Murchison was the worst hit region. Fact file from Christchurch City Libraries.

Napier Earthquake - Hawke's Bay - 1931

In 1931, New Zealand's deadliest earthquake devastated the cities of Napier and Hastings. At least 256 people died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake - 161 in Napier, 93 in Hastings, and 2 in Wairoa. Many thousands more required medical treatment. Fact file from Christchurch City Libraries.

Wellington Earthquake - 1855

In 1855 a magnitude 8.2 earthquake - the most powerful ever recorded in New Zealand - rocked the southern part of the North Island. Caused by movement along a fault in Palliser Bay, it altered the landscape of the Wellington region and affected its subsequent urban development. Fact file from Christchurch City Libraries.