Wairarapa Disasters: Fatal stress from 1934 Pahīatua earthquake

Saturday, 24 January 2026

The earthquake in 1934 was felt all over and each town had a story to tell, Mark Pacey of the Wairarapa Archive writes in his occasional series highlighting Wairarapa disasters.

On March 5, an earthquake struck north Wairarapa and Tararua. It affected many of the Wairarapa towns some more seriously than others.

In Masterton, the earthquake struck at 11.50pm. It was regarded as the worst to hit the region in thirty years, in what was likened to riding a tractor over rough country. People initially thought it would be a repeat of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931 and they expected to find the town centre in ruins.

Businesses owners and spectators rushed to town to see what the damage was. It was not like Hawke’s Bay at all and the damage, despite the violent shaking, was not as bad as expected.

There were broken windows, cracks in the frontages, stock shaken from shelves and the expected downed chimneys. The town clock had stopped at 11.50pm.

The McKenzie residence in Bideford fared worse, with all the dwelling’s chimneys shaken down. The porch broke free of the house and became separated, items in the pantry were now on the floor and the house misshapen.

Castlepoint and Whakataki reported some downed chimneys, but Pongaroa lost all their chimneys and water tanks. People were said to have been shaken out of their beds there. Further north, the Akitio Power Station was destroyed.

Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough all felt the shake, but the further south the less severe it was. The only real casualty among these towns was the odd chimney. But heading north, things got much worse.

Eketāhuna recorded the quake at 11.45pm and reported more smaller shocks throughout the night.

The Power Board building suffered a partial collapse towards the back of the building. It was estimated that 75% of the town’s chimneys were down and the remainder were all damaged to some extent.

Items on shelves in businesses and households were now in pieces on the floor, which included almost the entire stock of chemist Magnus Priest.

The railway lines through here were all twisted and buckled, and it would be some time before rail journeys between Masterton and Woodville would be able to continue.

But it was Pahīatua that suffered the most. The lengthy newspaper report put it plainly. “A terrifying earthquake, lasting nearly two minutes, shortly before midnight, was the worst in this district’s history.”

All power was cut, hundreds of homes lost their chimneys, and the central business area was strewn with debris. All telephone lines were cut which made getting any information in or out difficult. The list of businesses suffering serious damage in Pahīatua ran for a whole paragraph.

This was also the town where there was a human cost. Andrew Pringle, a local businessman who had been battling a serious illness, tried to make his way outside when the quake struck. The stress was too much, and he collapsed and was unable to be revived.