New Zealand Civil Defence has warned of strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges in coastal areas after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia.
All coastal areas of the North Island are under threat.
The earliest waves are expected at 12.13am at North Cape near Cape Rēinga and 1.07am in Whangārei and could reach heights of up to 1m.
Northland Civil Defence said at 4pm that there was no expected threat to land and given the time expected until the wave arrival, tsunami warnings would not be activated.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and reassess the need for further warnings, including the potential use of sirens, as more information becomes available.”
Around 4.15pm a Civil Defence emergency alert was sent out to phone with instructions on what people should do.
People have been warned to stay off beaches and shore areas and those living on boats and at marinas have also been advised to move on to the shore.
Coastal areas under threat include harbours, estuaries and small boats.
Other areas do not need to be evacuated unless directly advised by local Civil Defence authorities.
The forecasted tsunami activity was expected from midnight, coinciding with high tide in parts of Northland.
Northland’s Deputy Harbourmaster Peter Thomas said people should follow the advice of Civil Defence.
He has been advising harbour wardens and marinas of the threat and said it was up to people to heed the warnings.
“They’re warning strong currents and surges, and we’ve had them in the past,” he said.
Thomas said areas such as Mangōnui and Tutukākā seemed to be particularly susceptible to such activity.
Tutukākā Marina manager Dylan Lease said the marina was erring “on the side of caution” and listening to the advice of Civil Defence.
“What’s going to tell the story is what’s happening in other countries. As the wave moves down that will tell the story for us.”
He said the marina community was being alerted and the situation was subject to ongoing assessment.
The marina is no stranger to tsunami risks after it was badly damaged on January 15, 2022, after the Tongan tsunami surge.
It cost nearly $6 million in damage.
A rebuild at the marina started in February 2023, which aimed to withstand greater tsunami surges than those of January 15.
The Civil Defence warning has stated strong currents and surges can injure people.
“There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore.”
“People in or near the sea ... should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries.”
Flooding was not expected.
Civil Defence discouraged people from going to the coast to watch unusual wave activity due to the threat of “dangerous and unpredictable” surges.
Those wanting to view the conditions can access live reports and cameras on the Surfline website.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu said waves up to 1m were possible in areas including New Zealand as well as the Cook Islands, Fiji, Antarctica, Mexico and more.
The United States Geological Survey upgraded the size of the quake to magnitude 8.8 after it was previously described as 8.7.
It hit the East Coast of Kamchatka Russia about 11.25am.
The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) earlier said there was no risk. However, the strength of the quake has now been upgraded.
Civil Defence earlier indicated it could take 12 hours for such activity to reach the coastline.
Tsunami warnings and evacuation orders are being issued around the Pacific – including in Hawaii and Japan.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were not aware of any New Zealanders immediately impacted by the earthquake.
“We are monitoring the associated tsunami threat messages closely and have issued SafeTravel messaging to New Zealanders registered in the affected locations.
“New Zealanders in the affected areas are advised to follow the advice of local authorities and monitor the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for updates.”
– More to come
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.