It had been preceded by smaller quakes in 1841 and 1842 but 1843's truly was a whopper "when such a severe shock occurred that such few chimneys that were in the place were thrown down and the earth opened in deep fissures.
"One (fissure), in the bed of the river, being several hundred feet long and of great depth and width; another, of similar length, 16 feet wide and several fathoms deep, and others again running parallel to each other, gradually diminishing in width until they became mere cracks."
Also, "a large portion of Shakespeare Cliff fell down in the river and much sulphurous gas escaped, which for a time affected the health of the community.
"During the time of this earthquake, large waves rolled up the river in a fearful manner; also the windows and doors opened and shut with such violence that many were broken."
He goes on to say more quakes followed for nearly another year and that local Maori said there had been earthquakes previously, including massive ones at Rotorua and Taupo -- the one at Rotorua swallowing a village with "upwards of a thousand persons in it, and the place converted into a lake".
There apparently were quakes in the 1830s too above Pipiriki, which changed the riverbed, and caused fissures to open above Utapu Pa.
In more recent times, there is a photo at the gate of Westmere Lake which apparently shows the area covered in some sort of volcanic goop from a minor event. Several years ago I tried to find out more about it, but no one seemed to know anything.
Also, there are rumours of warm water springs around Upokongaro which surely must be from volcanic activity.
Realistically, we aren't that far from Taranaki, Ruapehu, the Ruahines etc.
Native Americans on the Pacific Coast have masses of oral history which talks of eruptions, earthquakes and tsunami. Only in recent years have these histories been taken notice of as a valuable source of geologic information.
I am sure that if our own scholars were to study Maori oral history we would find similar lessons from the past.
There will be other snippets of information out there, I am sure, which will add to a greater picture of our district, and I hope one day it's gathered up in such a way we can all be better educated about where we live.
Make sure you take sensible precautions and talk over what to do in an emergency with your loved ones. Keep safe.
�Dan Jackson is a Whanganui journalist and part-time scrap dealer.
