“People in or near the sea in affected NZ areas should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries,” Nema said on its website.
“Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people. There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing and anyone in or near the water close to shore.
“People on boats, live-aboards and at marinas should leave their boats/vessels and move on to shore. Do not return to boats unless instructed by officials.”
Earliest wave arrival estimates for New Zealand
- Auckland East – 1.35am
- Auckland West – 1.15am
- Bluff – 4.46am
- Dunedin – 2.34am
- East Cape – 12.28am
- Gisborne – 12.34am
- Great Barrier Island – No information
- Greymouth – 2.57am
- Jackson Bay – 2.12am
- Kaingaroa Chatham Islands – 1.55am (CHAST)
- Lottin Point (East Cape) – 11.59pm (July 30)
- Lyttelton – 3.08am
- Marlborough Sounds – 1.19am
- Milford Sound – 2.18am
- Mount Maunganui – 12.39am
- Napier – 1.22am
- Nelson – 4.21am
- New Plymouth – 2am
- North Cape – 12.13am
- Picton – 1.45am
- Port Tauranga – 12.52am
- Stewart Island – 2.47am
- Timaru – 3.03am
- Waitangi Chatham Islands – 2.15am (CHAST)
- Whanganui – 2.32am
- Wellington – 12.58am
- Westport – 2.39am
- Whangarei – 1.07am
Note: These times are provisional and based on the best information available. Nema said arrival times may be as much as one hour later.
‘Because we’re so far away, we have time’
University of Auckland senior lecturer, School of Environment, Dr Jennifer Eccles told the Herald that New Zealand was in a good position regarding a tsunami threat.
“Because we’re so far away, we have time because tsunami waves travel relatively slowly through the deep oceans, so the impact will come tonight,” she said.
“We are in that position where we have time to know what to expect and because of the distance it has to travel, the energy will dissipate somewhat.
“By the time it gets here, it’s going to be much smaller than anything they will see at a local level.”
‘Largest anywhere on earth since 2011′
Victoria University of Wellington earthquake scientist and Professor of Geophysics John Townend said this quake was “the largest anywhere on earth since 2011″.
He told Herald this part of the world tended to generate large earthquakes.
“Fortunately, not very often, but they do happen. There have been earthquakes even larger in historic times,” he said.
Townend said this quake happened in the subduction zone, where one plate was being jammed under another.
“These situations tend to generate the biggest earthquakes, and in this case, because of the size of the earthquake and the particular type of motion involved and its shallow depth, it has generated a tsunami.”
David Williams is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.
