[sarahw]

Hi Everyone!

Well we experienced our first earthquake yesterday :eek and didn't realise what it was until the 3rd (quake or aftershock!)

We were out shopping in Porirua in Briscoes Homewares & all of a sudden the crockery made a terrible noise at the back of the shop - I thought someone had pushed a trolley into a shelf and had knocked everything but when we went into the next shop they asked if we'd felt the quake - we hadn't! :no

Went back to the motel early evening & Ian said he'd felt his chair move but wasn't sure if it was the train line outside or not. Then got into bed a few hours later & the whole bed & ceiling shook! It freaked me out a bit but caused only marginally more shaking than a big truck driving past the front of your house but there was no doubt about what it was! Trouble was we didn't know if they were all quakes or if the second 2 were aftershocks - sure we'll get to know in time. I did spend a bit of time awake fretting - if there was a big quake in the night would I roll off the bed onto the floor (after having read the thread that PB started with the article on what to do in an earthquake) or rush to the nearest door frame!! :eek :laugh

[Diny]

Sarah

They are amazing aren't they? I remember my first NZ earthquake. I was in PB's parents house. Just in the kitchen chatting to his mum, suddently everything started to rattle and the floor felt almost like a ripple went across it.

Funny thing was, I freaked out and did the headless chicken routine. Mum in law didn't really comment - hardly batted an eyelid.

I guess in time we'll all get use to them.

Diny

[cloudboy99]

As a veteran of California quakes (Loma Prieta in 89, 7.2 on the Richter scale) I know I usually shrug off the little ones (that feel like a lorrie driving by) but always look for the nearest door frame or table to duck and cover, just in case. I've only had one moderate earthquake up here in Portland over the last four years, but I still make sure that all plates, glasses, vases, etc are firmly secured behind cubbard doors. Nothing like a couple of days without power/water/gas to make you attach everything to the walls and create a 72-hour kit of food/water/torch.

[heimatseeker]

Like cloudboy, we're used to earthquakes from living in San Francisco. Yesterday's however were the first ones we felt in NZ and I had forgotten (repressed? :roll:) how unnerving they can be. I read in the paper (http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3160352a10,00.html) today that there was a total of seven(!) quakes but we didn't feel any except the two bigger ones around 9:40 pm and 10:30 pm, which were 5.2 and 5.3, respectively. The building started swaying back and forth (we are on the 6th floor) but luckily nothing moved or fell.

Has anyone been to the Earthquake House (http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/Learning/) at Te Papa here in Wellington? You can walk inside and it simulates a 6.6 quake. Really frightening - thankfully last night's quakes were nothing like it.

cheers,
Sibylle

[sweetpea]

Congrats, you're no longer an earthquake virgin! :mrgreen:


BTW -- Are there tornadoes in New Zealand? I hope not.

[Annierobrigado]

hopefully no quake would originate from under the sea and do a tsunami again, in nz!

:angel

annie

[Jules]

Here is a good sight to look at, it shows recent earthquakes around New Zealand etc

www.geonet.org.nz/urz-drum.html

Not too good at doing links so I hope it works :roll:

Jules

[Beach Kiwi]

I've been here over 40 years and never had the 'pleasure' of an earthquake! :no ;)

Mind you, Auckland isn't exactly known for its earthquakes! :mrgreen:

[Arlevien]

I've been here over 40 years and never had the 'pleasure' of an earthquake! :no ;)

Mind you, Auckland isn't exactly known for its earthquakes! :mrgreen:

whew thats a relief! tks BK.

[Danpoll]

Is the Otago reigon known for having quakes.? Its pretty scary when you think what those techtonic plates are doing underneath you.



Dan

[wilson182]

Hubby felt an earthquake in the winter which sent everything rattling. I think it unnerved him a bit. Wasn't there one offshore at the bottom of the South Island a few weeks ago?

[wilson182]

Apparently there where 9 quakes in 9 hours at the bottom of the North Island today :wah

[Beach Kiwi]

Mind you, Auckland isn't exactly known for its earthquakes! :mrgreen:

whew thats a relief! tks BK.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Auckland has about 50 dormant - no such thing as extinct - volcanoes within its boundaries? That includes all the outlying suburbs too!

Rangitoto, that big volcano-shaped island in the harbour, only erupted last about 500 years ago, and Auckland has monitoring equipment and action plans for dealing with an eruption already in existance and waiting for the day when something goes BANG! :laugh

True story! :nice1

[Beach Kiwi]

Is the Otago reigon known for having quakes.? Its pretty scary when you think what those techtonic plates are doing underneath you.

Not really, but there's that nasty thing called the Alpine Fault running down the South Island, which is responsible for creating the Southern Alps, and, as a result, most of the earthquakes that occur in the South Island.

Here's a map of some of the more significant volcanoes of the Auckland 'field': CLICK ME (http://www.arc.govt.nz/volcanic/field.htm) :nice1

[Timbo]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3161019a11,00.html

[sarahw]

Diny - I must admit that my reaction was similar to yours! I did struggle to get to sleep that night! :oops:

Sybille - Funnily enough we went to Te Papa to the earthquake shaker yesterday - yep was certainly not as bad as that! Quite scary!

[Jodie]

Hey Sarah,

Can you believe that we're just down the road from you and we didn't feel a thing! Even though there were 7 quakes that were apparently felt in the Welly area, we didn't feel any of em! :eek

After being here for 6 months you'd have thought we'd have at least felt one, especially seeing as we're in Welly which is prone to em, but nope! We must have really crap feelings and just not notice the shaking, or we live in the only part of Wellington that gets away without rocking! (Hmmmm, :uhoh yeah right!)

So I'll be picking your brains to find out what it felt like and what we're missing! :laugh

Jod

[sarahw]

I really can't believe you're that close Jod, & didn't feel a thing!!!

Surely you must have felt the quake this morning just before 8am? It shook the bed so much I woke up shouting and running for the nearest doorway?!!! :wah Serves me right for having a lie-in! :laugh

See you soon,

[Moorf]

Maybe Jod was hoping the 8am shaking wasn't a quake :laugh

[Dave & Sandra]

Maybe Jod was hoping the 8am shaking wasn't a quake :laugh

:laugh :laugh

Dave woke me with a cup of tea at about 8 and asked if I'd felt the quake. "What quake" says I :oops:

[Jodie]

Nice one Moorf!! :laugh ;) :yes

No, seriously, we did feel the one this morning so our senses aren't defunkt! :laugh

It was a 5.5er by Upper Hutt so not too far away. God it was wierd - Daz thought it was me falling over (cheers babe! I haven't put on that much weight since I've been here!! :laugh ) but obviously it wasn't! I was in the bathroom (just got out the shower!) and all the shampoo bottles were shaking and toothbrushes were rattling in the holder, and Daz said the doorway of the bedroom was moving side to side! And the noise! God - I didn't realise it would be that loud!

So we're not earthquake virgins any more, even though it's taken 6 months!

Jod

[Annierobrigado]

would it then be appropriate to say,

"new zealand rocks! dude!"

:laugh :cool :roll:

annie

[Radders]

My first earthquake today! Very good alarm clock!