Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Quake jangles nerves in Bay

By Sam Hurley
Hawkes Bay Today·
20 Jan, 2014 06:31 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Staff at Dannevirke's New World Supermarket survey the cracks which widened in the concrete floor of the new-built supermarket, following yesterday's earthquake. Photo/Christine McKay

Staff at Dannevirke's New World Supermarket survey the cracks which widened in the concrete floor of the new-built supermarket, following yesterday's earthquake. Photo/Christine McKay

Hawke's Bay and the lower North Island remain on edge today after a "severe" shake from a 6.2 magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks yesterday.

The initial shake, at 3.52pm, was at a depth of 33km and 15km east of Eketahuna in Wairarapa.

It was felt throughout most of New Zealand, with GeoNet collecting reports of people feeling the quake from as far away as Invercargill and Auckland.

GeoNet duty seismologist Caroline Little said the "big" earth mover would definitely generate a number of aftershocks which would be felt in Hawke's Bay.

She said the geological hazard centre had received 11 "damaging reports" and one "heavily damaging" report, coming from Wellington as a result of the earthquake.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said it was too early to tell which fault was responsible for the long rolling quake, lasting about 30 seconds, and dozens of aftershocks, four greater than 4.0 and the largest measuring measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Fire service central communications shift manager Mike Wanoa said a number of emergency calls flooded in immediately following the shake, particularly in the Masterton-Eketahuna area.

He said Hawke's Bay appeared to have come through unscathed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Wairarapa is no stranger to large earthquakes, with two damaging magnitude 7 quakes in 1942. However, the region's last earthquake above magnitude 6 was in 1990.

The giant eagle hanging from the roof of Wellington airport to promote the Hobbit trilogy has fallen down due to the shake. Photo / Kylie Te Moananui
The giant eagle hanging from the roof of Wellington airport to promote the Hobbit trilogy has fallen down due to the shake. Photo / Kylie Te Moananui
Photo / Kylie Manuel-Te Moananui
Photo / Ash Marsters
Photo / Ash Marsters
Damage in the Palmerston North CBD. Photo / John Roestenburg
Damage at Farmers Palmerston North. Photo / Sally Steadman
Quake damage at a store in Woodville. Photo / Daniel Aitchison
Quake damage in Wairarapa. Photo / Karen Monks (via twitter.com/RDiva)
Quake damage in Wairarapa. Photo / Karen Monks (via twitter.com/RDiva)
A turntable was damaged when a glass elephant fell on it during the quake. Photo / Diane Vanderspuy
Damage to products at New World Palmerston North. Photo / Nicola Parsons
Damage to products at New World Palmerston North. Photo / Nicola Parsons
Damage inside a store in Palmerston North. Photo / Sukhpreet Singh
Damage inside a store in Palmerston North. Photo / Sukhpreet Singh

Image 1 of 15: The giant eagle hanging from the roof of Wellington airport to promote the Hobbit trilogy has fallen down due to the shake. Photo / Kylie Te Moananui

Fire crews were called to the Fonterra plant in Pahiatua, after the factory was shut down after the earthquake. Mr Wanoa said no damage, chemical leaks or fires were discovered at the works.

Fonterra director of operations Robert Spurway said structural damage was clearly visible in early examinations of the dairy plant. "We will be carrying out a full assessment of the plant and structural engineers will also carry out an assessment."

The factory was evacuated with no injuries and power was lost temporarily. Milk from the plant was transported to other Fonterra distribution centres.

Discover more

Aftershocks to keep coming

21 Jan 07:56 PM

Earthquake makes its presence felt

21 Jan 08:03 PM

Mr Wanoa said a report of a gas line rupture in Pahiatua remained unclear but fire crews were receiving a number of calls in the small town.

Inspector Mike Coleman, of police central communications, said there were reports of damage to houses in Eketahuna, including broken windows, collapsed walls and fallen chimneys.

Residents in Dannevirke said strong winds had died down moments before the big quake struck.

Senior Constable Brendon Price at the Waipukurau police station said no initial emergency calls or damage were reported to police in the Waipukurau and Waipawa area.

"The police comms gave us a ring to see if we were all okay. It was fairly strong but there have been no reports of damage as yet."

New Zealand Transport Agency media manager Ewart Barnsley said contractors were dispatched to check major highways. "All the major bridges in the wider Wellington region, reaching as far north as Masterton, appear to have come through quite well.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There could have been some rock falls north of Masterton in the Manawatu Gorge but no major damage has been reported."

The Manawatu Gorge road was down to one lane, while the road between Pahiatua and Palmerston North was closed.

Wairarapa Times-Age editor Andrew Bonallack said for Masterton residents it was "utterly terrorising" and people thought it was the "big one".

He also said a substation in the settlement of Alfredton had caught fire but was dealt with by emergency services.

Eketahuna antique store owner Glenn McDean said it appeared everyone in the town lost power during the "scary shake".

"I really thought this building was coming down.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I was down the back and couldn't make my way to the front; there was stuff everywhere. We are all still in shock and I went to check on the lady next door and got her out.

"It's the fear. We have never experienced anything like it before."

Hawke's Bay Today readers took to social media immediately following the quake, sharing their experiences on Facebook and Twitter. Jennifer Howe said: "No damage but went on a bit and a lot of jingling in the cupboards."

Helen Burnett was on the third floor of the Hastings Westpac building and said: "Not fun at all. It was door frames and desk time."

MJ'S Cakes wrote: "OMG yes, sitting in office in Clive, New Zealand and felt like was not stopping, sure was a rocking one."

In Wellington, the giant eagle hanging from the roof of Wellington Airport to promote the Hobbit trilogy fell because of the shake.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

No serious injuries have been reported. Yesterday's series of quakes follows July's 6.5 magnitude Seddon earthquake that shook Hawke's Bay and much of central New Zealand.

Yesterday's earthquake, on Wellington Anniversary day, was also freakish in the fact it eerily coincided with the 1855 magnitude 8.2 Wairarapa earthquake, which also rocked central New Zealand at the end the cities anniversary celebrations.

- Additional reporting Wairarapa Times-Age

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Shame': Former Clubs Hastings CEO gets home detention for theft

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

05 Jul 11:55 PM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

05 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Shame': Former Clubs Hastings CEO gets home detention for theft

'Shame': Former Clubs Hastings CEO gets home detention for theft

06 Jul 05:00 PM

A criminal history check came up clean because Robert Don had changed his name.

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

05 Jul 11:55 PM
Premium
Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

05 Jul 06:00 PM
Flaxmere Woolworths site work begins, supermarket built by mid-2026

Flaxmere Woolworths site work begins, supermarket built by mid-2026

05 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP