Earthquake live updates: Eruption at Rotorua Golf Club hours after 5.9 magnitude quake hit
'A whole lot of shotgun sounds': Golfers surprised by small eruption on Rotorua Golf Course after severe quake
Pinned Vera Alves
Michael Marston told the Herald he was roughly halfway through a round of golf with mates when he heard gunshot type noises.
"We heard a whole lot of shotgun sounds like duck hunting or something, it happened quite quickly, then yeah saw all this smoke and knew it was an eruption."
He said he was about 600m from the eruption and "wasn't keen to hang around".
"I'm quite new to the area I've been here seven years, and I didn't want to hang around and find out (how big it would get)."
Marston said while eruptions weren't uncommon in the area, it was the biggest he had personally seen.
"People have told me there have been bigger ones on lakes in the area. Everyone else stayed to finish the game."
He said the phenomenon, which "shows the unpredictable nature of the environment", lasted several minutes.
Road closure after Mount Maunganui slips
Vera Alves
Tauranga City Council says a temporary road closure is in place following slips on Mauao overnight.
The council said Adams Ave, between Pilot Bay and the Maunganui Rd roundabout, would be temporarily closed to vehicles, effective immediately.
It said the closure was a precautionary measure to ensure public safety while the area was at higher risk of further movement.
Motorists and pedestrians are being advised to avoid the area and follow any signage or directions from staff on site.
“Māori Wardens are currently in place managing the closure until temporary fencing is installed later today.”
The closure is expected to remain in place until at least Monday.
Tauranga City Council said geotechnical engineers were assessing the site and would provide further advice as soon as possible.
Ruapehu roading and skifield updates
Vera Alves
As of 11.30am, Ruapehu District Council has advised a number of local roads are closed, along with the State Highways.
Local roads affected:
• Hikumutu Road is closed at the Makokomiko road intersection
• Pukeatua Road closed
• Mangaparo Rd – slip closing part of Road south of Ohura township
• Otunui South Road – Multiple Slips – Hoping to be open later today
There are currently no road closures or traffic management signage affecting travel to Taranaki via Ōhura or Waitaanga.
SH43 remains closed between Taumarunui and Tahorapāroa as well as SH3 at Awakino Gorge.
Rail lines between Marton to Hamilton and Whanganui to New Plymouth are closed for inspection and Glenbrook Vintage Railway trips have been cancelled.
Both Tūroa and Whakapapa ski fields are closed due to the weather, however council says, "as far as we are aware they will be returning to full operation as soon as weather conditions allow".
New World Taumarunui building sustains minor damage, store opening later than usual
Vera Alves
New World Taumarunui opened later than usual today, at 10.30am, after minor damaged sustained to its building."Well that was a heck of a shake this morning! Hope everyone is safe out there. All staff are safe here but a few things need fixing up in store including some lighting that’s come off its tracks."
A cheeky post to social media also included: "surprisingly not one bottle of wine went over!!"
Vera Alves
Police to be 'out and about as usual' in Taumarunui
Vera Alves
Manawatū, Taranaki, Whanganui-Ruapehu police have advised the community they'll be "out and about as usual" today after minor damage was sustained in Taumarunui town.
"We hope you're all alright after this morning's quake near Taumarunui.
"We are aware there's a few broken windows and such through the town, which are being repaired currently.
"Take care, everybody - we'll be out and about as usual."
How long could the aftershocks last?
Vera Alves
At least 73 aftershocks have been recorded after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Manawatū-Whanganui in the early hours of this morning.
GeoNet said the quake had been felt across most of the North Island and warned aftershocks could continue into the coming days.
“We expect aftershocks to continue, and people will likely feel these as they are occurring at a shallow depth. Aftershocks are likely to decrease in frequency over the coming days, although there is always the possibility of another earthquake of a similar size or larger occurring,” it wrote.
Multiple roads closed across Ruapehu District
Vera Alves
Ruapehu District Council have sent crew to Otanui South Rd to carry out repairs after being advised of multiple slips on the route.
State Highway 43 is now closed between Taumarunui and Tahorapāroa, while SH3 remains closed at the Awakino Gorge after a major slip.
SH4 remains open however council is wanting drivers there may be several small slips along the road.
Drivers have been asked to avoid non-essential travel in affected areas.
"Based on the information currently available, Otanui Rd is expected to be cleared today; however, this is subject to change as conditions are assessed", a council post reads.
"If you observe any other local roads affected by earthquake or weather-related damage, please contact the Council on (07) 895 8188. If there is an immediate danger to people or property, call 111."
GeoNet explains what caused the quake
Vera Alves
Over 23,000 people reported feeling the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Manawatū-Whanganui before 5am.
GeoNet said the quake had been felt across most of the North Island.
GeoNet said the earthquake was due to “normal faulting” in the upper crust of the Australian Plate, which is a lengthening, or extension, of a portion of Earth’s crust.
“This area is at the edge of the Taupō Volcanic Zone, where the crust is stretching thinner due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate below and associated processes.”
GeoNet said this meant normal faulting in this area was typical.
“We also see large earthquakes at depth in this area, like the M6.2 that occurred in 2018 deep in the subducting Pacific Plate, which is plunging into the earth some 100 km beneath the area.”
Residents asked to stay alert for damage to electricity network
Vera Alves
The Lines Company responsible for distributing electricity to the Ruapehu, King Country and Central Plateau areas is reminding people out and about to stay alert for any damage to the electricity network.
The message to the public is to keep away from all fallen power lines, damaged poles, power transformers and electrical equipment and to treat them as live at all times.
"Our teams are monitoring the network and will respond to any reported damage or outages as required.
"Please follow advice from emergency management authorities and prioritise your safety at all times."
People have been asked to report any network hazards or damage immediately to 0800 367 328.
While PowerCo confirmed to the Herald the 77 unplanned current outages in New Plymouth were unrelated to the earthquake.
"This fault occurred at 5:32am and appears to be a related to a fault with the cable, rather than impact from the earthquake," a spokesperson said.
Vera Alves
Photos show damage after quake
Vera Alves
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the Manawatū-Whanganui before 5am has left signs of damage.
The images shared with the Herald showed broken glass and dishevelled shelves in Taumarunui.
A local said the photos were taken on Main St, Marare St and the Taumarunui Reuse Shop.
Aftershocks reported reaching magnitude 3.7
Vera Alves
A series of aftershocks have been reported after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Manawatū-Whanganui before 5am.
GeoNet has recorded a total of 73 aftershocks since the initial quake, with 11 of those considered "weak and above".
The most recent was recorded at 9.16am, 10 km south of Taumarunui.
The aftershock was magnitude 2.2 and at a depth of 10km.
The strongest aftershock recorded at 5.21am was magnitude 3.7 at a depth of 6km.
The most recent aftershock was recorded at 10.10am, 10 km south-west of Taumarunui. It was magnitude 2.6 at a depth of 13km.
What to do during aftershocks
Vera Alves
A series of aftershocks have been reported after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Manawatū-Whanganui in the early hours of this morning.
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Public Information Manager Jono Galuszka told the Herald aftershocks could cause additional damage as well as raise anxiety.
“The advice around earthquakes remains the same: if you feel an earthquake, no matter how strong it is, drop, cover, hold,” Galuszka said.
He said if you’re in bed, the best thing you can do is put your pillow over your head and stay in bed.
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence update - crews assess damage
Vera Alves
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Public Information Manager Jono Galuszka said crews have been assessing damage from the quake this morning.
He said Ruapehu District Council and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have been inspecting minor property damage such as broken windows.
Galuszka said he understood no major damage was reported.
He said they have also not received any reports of damage to three waters infrastructure at this stage.
“All the reservoirs are all good, and everything seems to be working."
Galuszka said KiwiRail told them the Marton to Hamilton and Whanganui to New Plymouth train lines were currently closed for inspection, but they were hoping to have those lines open again at about 11.30am.
Roading update
Vera Alves
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Public Information Manager Jono Galuszka told the Herald State Highway 43 and State Highway 3 were currently closed.
“State Highway 4 is still open, although apparently there’s some small slips along the route, so just take care,” he advised.
Galuszka said they had not heard much regarding local roads being affected, but urged residents to report any problems to the Ruapehu District Council.
“If people are travelling through the area, if they have to, it would be great if they could stick to state highways as the detours rather than using those local roads, until we get a better idea of what they’re like.”
Why some phones alerted residents before they even felt the quake?
Vera Alves
Some North Islanders awoke to a blaring alarm from their Android phone before they even felt the ground shake this morning.
On social media, some people said their phones alerted them before they felt the effects of the quake.
Others said the alert arrived as the shaking began or shortly afterwards.
Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui said it had been asked lots of questions about why some people got an alert on their cellphone before/during the Taumarunui earthquake, and others didn’t.
“Android cell phones have a function called the Android Earthquake Alerts System. Android phones have a built-in accelerometer which picks up vibrations,” it wrote.
If the Android phone senses movements which feel like an earthquake, it would send a signal to Google’s servers, which then do cross-checks from nearby phones.
Civil Defence said this helps to confirm if the vibrations from that phone and others nearby are actually caused by an earthquake, rather than just a few people dropping their phones at the same time.
Family's 'narrow escape' as cliff collapsed before them
Vera Alves
New Plymouth resident Nikita Phillips was travelling through Awakino Gorge with her partner and daughter when the road started disappearing ahead of them early this morning.
"We went into survival mode, it was so scary.
"My partner looked out the window and said 'f*** babe, the cliff is coming down'.
"Then a road worker come running towards us screaming and waving his hands and said 'you need to f***en go! Hurry, go go!'"
Awakino Gorge at State Highway 3 is closed between Mōkau and Piopio due to the slip.
Phillips told the Herald her and her family had a "narrow" escape as debris from a cliff-slip began engulfing the road ahead of them.
She praises the roading contractor who she says "contributed massively" to her family's safety.
"I have massive appreciation for his mahi. I don't think people realise how dangerous the roads around the gorge can be.
"People are quick to attack road closures but this proves how important they are."
She said they're home safe and while she didn't feel the earthquake, there had been light rain throughout the morning.
Glenbrook Vintage Railway cancelled
Vera Alves
Vera Alves
One woman described her horror on social media.
"It was a violent earthquake, wouldn't of wanted to of gone on much more before it started smashing things. Been over 30 aftershocks already some as shallow as 3km deep."
'Felt like the whole mountain shook,' says person on Mt Ruapehu when quake hit
Vera Alves
One person said they were on Mt Ruapehu when the quake hit.
"I was on Mt Ruapehu and it felt like the whole mountain shook. Snowing outside and was just waiting for an eruption!"
Vera Alves
NZTA is warning of the possibility of slips and debris on both SH4 and SH43.
Slip closes SH3 at Awakino Gorge
Vera Alves
A slip has forced the closure of State Highway 3 at Awakino Gorge, between Mokau and Piopio, just before 5.30am.
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says an onsite Geotech assessment will take place later this morning and has asked people to avoid the area.
State Highways 4 and 43 remain alternatives, with people being urged to drive to the conditions "following the earthquake near Taumarunui overnight in addition to rain in those areas".
Vera Alves
Vera Alves
One Taumurunui resident described the ordeal as "terrifying" and "very stressful" and said they had never experienced anything like it.
While another said: "Live in Taumarunui and some broken things to clean up, but safe. Was scary for sure."
Another said they live just 2km from the epicentre of where the quake hit and described the shaking as "violent".
Quake was a lot more 'direct' than others says Ruapehu mayor
Vera Alves
Ruapehu District Council Mayor Weston Kirton, who has lived in the area his whole life, said this quake was a lot more "direct" compared to the "small ones off and on" the district experiences.
"Lights were shaking and a couple of photos were flattened and yeah so it was definitely one of those events that will always be remembered.
"Check on people to see whether they're safe and how it's impacted on them, individuals will be fearful of what's to come, if at all."
Kirton said the council is checking on infrastructure and will provide community support where needed.
He said he was surprised he didn't hear any fire alarms in the area.
Civil Defence monitoring the situation
Vera Alves
Ruapehu District Council has advised Civil Defence has been stood up and is monitoring the situation closely.
Communication systems remain operational in the area.
"Please continue to check on family, friends, neighbours, and others who may need support.
"Stay safe everyone."
Quake felt as far north as Whangārei
Vera Alves
The quake has been felt as far north as Whangārei, with an early morning riser reporting feeling the shake.
"I was just waking up to go to the gym and felt house shake like a truck was going up our driveway, this was at approximately 0453. Lasted maybe 3-5 seconds."
Āpiti resident says home rocked 'for some time'
Vera Alves
An Āpiti resident told the Herald it rocked their home for "some time".
"We live on a hill and our house is built on wooden piles explaining the rocking sensation.
"Still very scary though especially when there is no natural light to see what's going on. No doubt we will be catching up with neighbours and checking the property."
Vera Alves
One man who lives next door to Wellington Zoo said he noticed the animals were "definitely unsettled" and described the quake as a "decent rock and roll".
Another woman said it went on for well over 30 seconds and said you could continue to feel aftershocks "well after the big shake".
'Haven’t felt one like that since the big Kaikōura earthquake'
Vera Alves
In the Ohakune region, one person described it as a "very severe shake" that woke them, while another in Raglan "said upstairs in an apartment, with the room shaking quite significantly".
Another compared it to the shaking felt in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes: "That felt huge here in Midhirst. The whole house shook for some time. Haven’t felt one like that since the big Kaikōura earthquake."
Aftershocks expected to continue
Vera Alves
Manawatū-Whanganui Emergency Management Group has advised there have been multiple aftershocks, which are expected to continue throughout the morning.
Emergency services and roading crews are assessing the situation, but a fuller view of any impacts is unlikely to be available until daylight.
If there is property damage, people should take notes and photographs for insurance purposes. If people are renting, they should contact their landlord and contents insurance company as soon as possible.
If people are in danger or there's risk to life, they've been told to call 111.
GeoNet confirms quake depth
Vera Alves
GeoNet has confirmed depth of quake is definitely 9km and says please refer to website at all times.
Slips across the region being assessed
Vera Alves
Minor slips have been reported on roads in the region and drivers have been urged to drive with caution.
Emergency services and roading crews are “currently assessing the situation”.
More than 20,000 people report feeling ‘severe’ shaking
Vera Alves
Nearly 23,000 people have reported feeling the shaking, marked as ‘severe’ on GeoNet, from as far north as Auckland to the top of the South Island - with a few people even reporting feeling it in Dunedin.
One New Plymouth resident told the Herald he woke at exactly 4.53am to the whole house rocking and was laying in bed “swaying back and forth with the house”.
Dozens of Aucklanders have taken to social media, saying they felt early morning shaking in areas including Papakura, Hunua, Waitara and Karaka.
5.9 magnitude quake rocks central North Island
Vera Alves
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck Manawatū-Whanganui in the early hours of this morning.
The quake hit 5km south of Taumarunui at 4.51am, at a depth of 9km.