TSUNAMI WARNING LATEST
* (1.25pm) GNS Science has downgraded tsunami warnings for New Zealand, advising the largest waves have now passed. A National Emergency Management Agency release says the threat level's now downgraded to a beach and marine threat for all areas that were previously under land and marine threat. It
says all people who were evacuated can now return. The advice remains for all areas under beach and marine threat, to stay off beach and shore areas.
* Doubtless Bay residents in the Far North reporting seeing a surge of water come into the harbour. "The surge came!," one resident posted on social media. "Over the past hour a strong surge has been flowing into Mangonui Harbour. No tsunami wave as such but more like a strong flowing river stirring up the mud and sand in the harbour."
* Civil Defence update (11.54am): Surge activity is being seen in multiple locations along Northland's coast. Remain evacuated until an official all-clear.
* Ahipara Horse Treks owner Lohnet Murray had to evacuate 10 horses and two miniature ponies to higher ground this morning. Murray called in her team of six staff to help ride and lead the horses to a paddock on the hill. "We rode some and led some and put the two minis on a trailer. "We had a full day's bookings and had to cancel the treks today."
* Police in Northland have closed the Whangārei city centre to the public.
* Tinopai School is the evacuation point for people in Tinopai in the Kaipara Harbour.
* All Refining NZ staff were safely evacuated this morning following the earthquake. A spokeswoman said oil refining operations were already in shutdown mode due to the scheduled March 2021 turnaround maintenance programme.
* The top part of Whangārei at the Regent was calm and virtually empty compared to lower city centre earlier as everyone flocked to higher ground. Among the throngs were vets carrying cages of pets up Bank St.
* At Whangārei Intermediate School students congregated on the cycle track; girls and some parents were crying. Lots of concerned parents were charging around on their phones searching for their children.
* Swarm of earthquakes in Pacific - including magnitude 8.1 quake in Kermadec Islands at 8.28am (NZT) - spark Civil Defence warnings.
* Tsunami warning for large parts of North Island coast - people near coast from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay, Great Barrier Island, and west coast of the North Island from Cape Reinga to Ahipara told to move immediately
* There are two different types of tsumani threat. Most of the country is under a beach and marine threat. The parts where evacuations are taking place are under a land and marine threat.
* Evacuation orders "not done lightly" and on basis of watching tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, official says. "We want people to take this seriously."
* 8.1 earthquake followed 7.4 shake at 6.41am and 7.1 quake off North Island coast at 2.27am
A tsunami alert has been issued for Northland, with people on the coast urged to evacuate to higher ground or get inland after a massive earthquake north of the country.
Tsunami sirens have gone off along the coast warning people of the tsunami threat.
Hundreds of workers, students and residents are fleeing to higher ground after a third, massive Pacific earthquake this morning - and a tsunami threat that affects much of the Northland, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and upper West Coast coastlines.
