Summary
- New Zealand has experienced hundreds of aftershocks – some of them severe – as efforts continue to reach people trapped in the coastal town of Kaikoura in the South Island.
- In the 12 hours from 6am to 6pm on Tuesday, Geonet, the official monitor, recorded 313 quakes, taking the total since the initial magnitude 7.5 quake to 1,212.
6 pm update: 25 eqs in the last hour, 313 eqs since 6 am today and 1212 eqs since the M7.5. Kaikoura Earthquake. #eqnz pic.twitter.com/wCwmZYHBzb
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 15, 2016
- Geonet said reconnaissance flights over affected areas had indicated that between 80,000 and 100,000 landslides had occurred as a result of the quakes.
- Hundreds of people remain stranded in the coastal town of Kaikoura, north of Christchurch, which has no road access. Four air force helicopters have airlifted more than 130 people out of the town, but reports say it could be four days before all those who want to leave are evacuated. NZHMS Canterbury is on its way to the town to deliver supplies and carry out further evacuations.
- Part of central Wellington close to parliament is cordoned off and buildings – including New Zealand’s Red Cross headquarters – have been evacuated as a nine-storey office block is in danger of collapse. Fire chief Brendan Nally described it as a
clear structural failure … a vertical beam in the building has been shorn.
It looks somewhat like a broken bone.
Lift block separating from main building pic.twitter.com/XCq3Sb3mGx
— Richard Bicknell (@dickbicknell) November 15, 2016
- It came as torrential rain and gale-force winds battered the capital, flooding roads and forcing residents of the Hutt Valley from their homes.
- The confirmed death toll from the initial quake remains at two. Officials said there were a number of people injured, but not seriously.
- Officials from local civil defence and emergency management groups will spend tonight “going door to door to check on households” in affected communities that have not yet received assistance, Sarah Stuart-Black, director of civil defence, has said.
- The New Zealand prime minister, John Key, revealed he had missed a call from the US president-elect, Donald Trump, while dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake:
I didn’t see the call when it came in, in the hurly burly of things I didn’t notice.
- And two cows and a calf made famous after they were filmed stranded on a tiny pillar of land have been rescued.
Updated
More from Wellington’s fire region manager, Brendan Nally, about the teetering building in Molesworth Street:
We have a clear structural failure. What’s caused that will be determined later.
The clear structural failure is a major beam, a vertical beam in the building, has been shorn.
It looks somewhat like a broken bone in the leg. It is fractured through.
It is a major supporting beam. It is up above the fifth floor, so it is the top four floors.
Associated Press has this latest on the situation in Wellington centre:
Several buildings in the centre of New Zealand’s capital have been evacuated and some streets cordoned off after engineers determined that a building is in danger of collapsing, two days after a powerful earthquake shook the city.
Brendan Nally, the regional commander for the New Zealand Fire Service, said engineers were completing an inspection of the downtown Wellington office building on Tuesday when they found that a major vertical beam had failed above the fifth floor.
He said that “the building is at significant risk of collapse”.
Nally said the building was empty when the quake struck overnight on Monday.
He said the buildings that were evacuated include the local headquarters for the Red Cross and the Thai embassy.
Updated
Another strong aftershock – magnitude 5.7 – has just shaken the Kaikoura region:
M5.7 quake causing strong shaking near Kaikoura https://t.co/dpwNMsYohW
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 15, 2016
Some readers below the line and on social media have asked whether the supermoon could have been a factor in the earthquakes:
Here’s what Geonet has to say about it:
Some people have raised concerns about a link with the supermoon. In large groups earthquakes exhibit slight associations with lunar cycles, but this is not reliable for forecasting.
We have two tides a day throughout New Zealand and at any one place there is no clear association in location.
The occurrence of the full moon around the globe does not allow us to say how big, when and where any earthquake might be.
Updated
Meanwhile, it’s dinner time in Kaikoura, from where Red Cross worker Simon Makker sends this video.
(Have the crayfish. The crayfish is really good.)
Earthquake kai-time at the Marae welfare centre. Crayfish, paua, pasta, salad and sausage rolls! @NZRedCross #eqnz pic.twitter.com/h0DI6inKbN
— Simon Makker (@SimonMakker) November 15, 2016
Wellington’s Molesworth Street – in the central business district and just round the corner from the NZ parliament – remains closed amid fears a building could collapse.
Local reports suggest the building in question is 61 Molesworth Street, an eight-storey office block currently advertising space for lease.
That ad describes it as:
An 8-level office tower to be extensively refurbished and strengthened to 100% NBS [New Building Standard].
Lift block separating from main building pic.twitter.com/XCq3Sb3mGx
— Richard Bicknell (@dickbicknell) November 15, 2016
Updated
John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, missed a call from US president-elect Donald Trump while dealing with the aftermath of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday.
Trump was calling Key as part of his first phase of reaching out to world leaders during his transition to the White House.
Trump’s office set up the call with Key in advance, but the prime minster was caught up with the fallout from the natural disaster and missed the phone call.
Key explained the diplomatic faux pas to the New Zealand Herald:
What happened was there was a bit of a discussion between my office and his office on the Saturday about a call.
We weren’t strictly sure when the president-elect was going to ring, they said it was in the next couple of hours.
I didn’t see the call when it came in, in the hurly burly of things I didn’t notice.
They then made contact with our foreign affairs people and and said they had tried to call and hadn’t been successful.
Key said another call had been set up for Wednesday.
Updated
Tuesday: 313 quakes in 12 hours
Geonet reports that in the 12 hours from 6am to 6pm on Tuesday, there were 313 quakes across New Zealand, concentrated around that vulnerable north-eastern area of the South Island.
That took the total number of earthquakes since the mainshock on Monday to 1,212.
6 pm update: 25 eqs in the last hour, 313 eqs since 6 am today and 1212 eqs since the M7.5. Kaikoura Earthquake. #eqnz pic.twitter.com/wCwmZYHBzb
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 15, 2016
There has since been another strong aftershock close to Kaikoura:
M5.2 quake causing strong shaking near Kaikoura https://t.co/Ml0kwivWm0
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 15, 2016
Magnitude 7.5 or 7.8?
Reports have varied on the strength of the initial quake that struck shortly after midnight on Monday morning.
New Zealand’s own monitoring service, Geonet, has measured the earthquake as magnitude 7.5 (and that’s what we at the Guardian have decided to use in our reporting for now).
But other monitors, including the United States Geological Survey (USGS), have it at 7.8.
Here’s how Geonet describes the discrepancy:
Why were our magnitudes different from the USGS: About magnitude variability
We have currently established that the New Zealand local magnitude for this earthquake is 7.5, but this may be reviewed over time when more detailed research is undertaken. This may bring it closer to the internationally-derived value (e.g. Mw7.8 by the US Geological Survey).
Updated
The headquarters of the New Zealand Red Cross are right next to the building in Wellington that is threatening to collapse – and staff have now been evacuated:
The @NZRedCross HQ in Wellington has been immediately evacuated. The building next door collapsing and in danger of falling on us #eqnz 1/2 pic.twitter.com/gF5rGIaSmG
— corinneambler (@corinneambler) November 15, 2016
About 50 Red Cross personnel are working in Kaikoura and Marlborough, with workers also helping those stranded by flooding in the Wellington region.
Sarah Stuart-Black, director of civil defence, has just been briefing the media on the latest information from the ministry of civil defence and emergency management (MCDEM).
Staff from local CDEM groups in Kaikoura, Hurunui and Marlborough and other affected communities … by night, they’re going to be going door to door to check on households.
The national relief effort is continuing, she said, targetting the worst affected areas:
Food, water and fuel are required in Kaikoura, Hurunui and Marlborough.
But she said there would be coordinated efforts to get support into areas other than Kaikoura, and that local agencies want to hear from “communities we may not have reached”.
Over 130 people have now been evacuated from Kaikoura, with rescue efforts continuing.
Severe weather in Wellington aside, Stuart-Black said:
The rest of New Zealand is still operating as usual.
However, she asked that New Zealanders (and visitors) respect local advice and prepare for aftershocks, adding:
We urge caution about approaching buildings that have been damaged.
She did not have specific details on the city centre building currently thought to be at risk of collapse in Wellington.
Here’s a closer view of that Wellington high-rise – the surrounding area has been evacuated over fears the building is unstable and could collapse:
Just got stopped by police on Molesworth St Wellington with a building's glass facade about to peel off. #eqnz pic.twitter.com/kRZ3Z3gqC9
— Alex Perrottet (@alexperro) November 15, 2016
A section of Wellington’s central business district close to the parliament has been cordoned off amid fears a high-rise building there is at risk of collapse.
Molesworth Street has been closed, and nearby buildings evacuated.
Engineers are currently assessing the building.
A cordon has been set around this Wellington building amid concerns it could collapse. Molesworth St closed too pic.twitter.com/Piws1v4a1k
— Newshub Politics (@NewshubPolitics) November 15, 2016
Updated
State of emergency declared in Canterbury
The civil defence emergency management group for Canterbury – which covers the stranded town of Kaikoura – declared a state of emergency on Tuesday afternoon.
Lianne Dalziel, mayor of Christchurch, said:
Canterbury Mayors are united in their support for the people of Hurunui [district] and Kaikoura and we believe by declaring a state of local emergency in Canterbury we are in better position to coordinate support across the region.
Wellington’s Westpac stadium has confirmed that, although it has suffered no major structural damage, some repairs are needed and this Saturday’s A-league game will be postponed.
A statement on its website said:
Following a detailed engineering assessment, Westpac stadium has been cleared of major structural damage. The stadium closed its doors yesterday as a precautionary measure following the Kaikoura 7.5 earthquake early on Monday morning.
Stadium offices, and the ground level of the public car park, reopened on Tuesday. However the internal concourse and seating bowl remain closed until repairs have been completed. These repairs are expected to take two weeks to complete.
As a result, Football Federation of Australia in consultation with the Wellington Phoenix and the stadium, has made the decision to postpone this weekend’s A-league fixture between [Wellington] Phoenix and Melbourne Victory …
Damage included burst water pipes, concrete cracking and spalling, broken windows and some liquefaction on the stadium ring road. The mezzanine level car park will remain closed until repairs are conducted on the car park up-ramp.
Reuters reports that China is taking its own steps to evacuate some of its citizens from stricken Kaikoura:
China chartered four helicopters to evacuate around 40 nationals, mostly elderly and children, from Kaikoura late on Monday, said Liu Lian, an official at the Chinese consulate in Christchurch.
One Chinese national had been treated for a minor head injury in Kaikoura’s hospital, Liu said, and around 60 others would be evacuated on Tuesday.
“They have been trapped in Kaikoura for a couple of days, some are maybe scared, they have some mental stress,” Liu told Reuters. Many planned to continue journeys to other parts of New Zealand, Liu said.
Reader Sophie Gale, from Somerset, UK, emails to say that she and her partner Ben were holidaying in Wellington when the first quakes began:
We are currently staying at the Amora hotel on the seventh floor. I woke up at midnight local time last night as I felt a slight tremor. By the time I woke Ben up, the room was really beginning to shake.
He went to the window to look outside and as soon as he crossed the room the full brunt of the earthquake hit and he was thrown across the room. The noise from the earthquake was indescribable, it was incredibly loud, at the same time we could also see bright white flashes outside from power lines being ripped apart. It lasted 30 seconds but it felt a lot longer.
We ran down the emergency exit and it felt like something out of a movie: ceilings were falling down, cracks were rapidly appearing in the walls and the water pipes had burst so water was pouring down from the ceilings and flooding the corridors. The hotel staff were brilliant and we all sat outside waiting for the all-clear.
Once outside, the tsunami siren starting ringing. A lot of people fled to Mount Victoria but this caused gridlock on the roads. We were given the all-clear to go back into the building at 3am, thinking we would be relatively safe on the seventh floor if a tsunami was to hit.
Since then, we have felt eight major aftershocks, all ranging from about 5.7- 6.6. The hotel shakes and sways and the CBD in Wellington looks like a ghost town.
We were having dinner when a 6.5 hit at 8.15pm local time. Seeing the restaurant and the high street outside swaying is something I will never forget. We haven’t been able to leave Wellington as our car is trapped in a car park which is waiting to be assessed before we are allowed to gain access. The front of the car park has collapsed.
We were meant to be going over to Picton today but the ferries have stopped as the ports have sustained major damage.
The most amazing thing is that for such a powerful earthquake, the damage caused is very minimal compared to the Christchurch earthquake 2011. We woke up expecting devastation. Everybody has been extremely lucky.
A reader below the line asks:
Does anyone know what the difference between an aftershock and a new quake is, especially as aftershocks can still measure in the 5s and 6s?
This from the United States Geological Survey helps to explain:
Aftershocks are earthquakes that follow the largest shock of an earthquake sequence. They are smaller than the mainshock and within 1-2 rupture lengths distance from the mainshock. Aftershocks can continue over a period of weeks, months, or years.
In general, the larger the mainshock, the larger and more numerous the aftershocks, and the longer they will continue.
My colleague Michael Slezak has also answered some of the questions about the New Zealand earthquake(s) here:
John Key's missed call from Donald Trump
Prime minister John Key has told the NZ Herald that the US, Japan and Malaysia have offered assistance but he is confident the country has the capacity to deal with the aftermath of the earthquakes itself.
And Key explains why he missed a call from Donald Trump in the midst of the quake response:
I didn’t see the call when it came … in the hurly-burly of things I didn’t notice that.
He said the call with the president-elect will now probably happen on Wednesday.
Images show some of these many landslides – and the effects.
In the northeast South Island, a slip has contributed to the breaching of the Clarence river:
Workers have been clearing state highway 1 in the South Island after landslides blocked roads:
Railway lines were also crushed under slips north of Kaikoura:
'Up to 100,000 landslides'
Geonet says it estimates that between 80,000 and 100,000 landslides have been triggered by the succession of quakes:
We are roughly estimating from yesterday’s reconnaissance flights that there may have been from 80,000 to 100,000 landslides. Much of the area affected by landslides is in the remote and rugged areas of the Inland and Seaward Kaikoura Ranges …
The reports of landslide dams points to a potential developing hazard. Landslide dams can last thousands of years, they can fail slowly or they can fail very quickly. When they fail very quickly they can release large volumes of water and sediment into river systems as a flood wave (flash flood). These floods can be hazardous to river users and we would ask people to stay away from the all rivers on the east coast of the South Island from the Hurunui to the Awatere until inspections have been completed and more precise information can be provided.
The landslides that have occurred as a result of the earthquake remain dangerous. Material can move at any time. Please exercise caution when in the vicinity of landslides and cracks in the ground on slopes. If it is raining the threat rises as the water can remobilise the debris as debris flows and debris floods (flash floods). Please avoid landslides in wet weather.
John Key statement
John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, has said the weather “certainly isn’t helping” relief efforts:
The weather here in Wellington is yet another complicating factor to the aftermath of the earthquakes that took place.
There are about 140 people that we’re looking to get out of Kaikoura as rapidly as we can; they’re on the priority list.
He says aerial support has been offered by the US and Malaysia, and there is now “plenty of capacity” for airlifting those trapped and delivering supplies, weather permitting.
Geonet, the New Zealand earthquake monitor, has posted this update on what it thinks could happen next:
We can say one thing with certainty: there will be more earthquakes to come in this area …
We’ve developed three scenarios based on what we know so far but be aware that our understanding is evolving as we do more analysis and receive more data.
It sets out three possible scenarios for the coming month:
Scenario One: Extremely likely (>99% within the next 30 days)
The most likely scenario is that aftershocks will continue to decrease in frequency (and in line with forecasts) over the next 30 days. Felt aftershocks (e.g. over M5) would occur from the M7.5 epicentre near Culverden, right up along the Kaikoura coastline to the Cape Palliser/Wellington area. This includes the potential for aftershocks of between 6.0 and 6.9 (91% within the next 30 days). Scenario one will continue to play out, even if either scenario two or three also occurs.
Scenario Two: Unlikely (15% within the next 30 days)
An earthquake smaller than Monday’s mainshock and between M7.0 to M7.5. There are numerous mapped faults in the Marlborough or Cook Strait areas capable of such an earthquake. It may also occur on an unmapped fault. This earthquake may be onshore or offshore but close enough to cause severe shaking on land. This scenario includes the possibility of an earthquake in the Hikurangi Subduction Zone. Such earthquakes have the potential to generate tsunami.
Scenario Three: Very unlikely (7% within the next 30 days)
A much less likely scenario than the previous two scenarios is that recent earthquake activity will trigger an earthquake larger than Monday’s M7.5 main shock. This includes the possibility for an earthquake of greater than M8.0, which could be on the ‘plate interface’ (where the Pacific Plate meets the Australian Plate). Although it is still very unlikely, the chances of this occurring have increased since the M7.5 earthquake.
Two 'severe' earthquakes in north South Island
Geonet has rated the most recent aftershock near Seddon, in the north of the South Island, as “severe”, of 5.2 magnitude.
It was at 2.43pm local time – about 20 minutes ago – at a depth of 12km.
It was preceded 10 minutes earlier by another “severe” 5.8 magnitude quake in the same region, that one at a depth of just 4km.
A series of strong aftershocks is currently affecting both islands.
All rail services in Wellington – already disrupted due to the weather – have now been cancelled.
The strongest aftershocks – close to Kaikoura and Seddon in the South Island – were also felt in the parliament building in the capital:
Well that was freaky sitting in Parliament with the finance minister talking about #eqnz when quite a large one hit, English keeps talking!
— Jane Patterson (@janepatterson) November 15, 2016
Strong aftershock near Kaikoura
The quakes continue – New Zealand has already experienced over 1,000 of them since Sunday night.
These are just within the last few minutes:
M5.8 quake causing strong shaking near Kaikoura https://t.co/QNbrwqi458
— geonet (@geonet_above5) November 15, 2016
M5.6 quake causing strong shaking near Seddon https://t.co/2Pik7o4X8G
— geonet (@geonet_above5) November 15, 2016
Some of those airlifted out of Kaikoura today have reached Christchurch. Four Air Force NH90 helicopters have been deployed to rescue tourists and those locals who want to leave the stranded town, which currently has no road access.
Civil defence officials earlier said 34 people had been airlifted out of the town on Tuesday morning. Hundreds remain.
Marlborough civil defence is in the process of evacuating people stranded on the swollen Clarence River, on the northeast of the South Island.
Today it helicoptered out six locals, whom the Red Cross said were “shaken and scared”.
On Monday 16 rafters and 12 kayakers were evacuated. The response team is preparing for further evacuations after heavy rainfall overnight.
Residents of the Hutt Valley, in the Wellington region, are being evacuated due to flooding.
Although the timing of the bad weather – torrential rain and gale-force winds – is an unhappy coincidence following the massive earthquake and its aftershocks that continue to rattle both islands, the quakes have left some areas more vulnerable to landslides, and some slips have been reported in and around Wellington, damaging property and blocking roads. Public transport has, unsurprisingly, been disrupted.
Oh good golly!!! #huttvalley #huttriver @WeatherWatchNZ @HuttHub @HuttCityCouncil pic.twitter.com/7f6h8WNrWN
— Lainey (@nzgirlemd) November 15, 2016
In case you were worried about the stranded cows, they have now been rescued.
Bonnie Malkin reports:
The happy news that the cattle had been saved came on Tuesday when Newshub reported that the farmer who owned them had used a pick and shovel to dig them out of their predicament.
The farmer said they were part of a larger group of 14 rescued from the paddock, which had been torn up by the quake.
Other livestock were not so lucky. “We did lose stock, there were stock losses, but the whole hillside fell during the earthquake and we had a lot of stock on there – we don’t know what we’ve got,” the unnamed man said.
The cattle had been given water and were safe, the farmer said.
Parts of the property, which lies on a fault line, had moved three metres, he said.
1,078 quakes since Sunday
Geonet, the New Zealand earthquake monitor, says that up to now, there have been 1,078 quakes following the enormous 7.5 magnitude temblor that hit the South Island on Sunday night.
On Tuesday alone, there have been 177 quakes between 6am and 1pm; with 34 aftershocks in the hour since midday alone.
1 pm update: 34 eqs in the last hour, 177 eqs since 6 am today and 1078 eqs since the M7.5. Kaikoura Earthquake. #eqnz
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 15, 2016
34 people airlifted from Kaikoura today
The ministry of civil defence and emergency management (MCDEM) has just held a press briefing.
Sarah Stuart-Black, director of civil defence, told reporters that damage has been reported to properties in the South and North islands.
She said aftershocks will continue and “could be close to the same size [as Sunday’s] … and could in fact be bigger”.
The number of confirmed deaths still stands at two, and while there are no exact figures on the numbers injured, Stuart-Black said “casualties have been small levels of minor injuries”.
She asked New Zealanders to “continue to look after each other”.
The greatest challenge for civil defence is the logistics to reach stranded communities with no road access, she said, while stressing that there was “good aerial support” for Kaikoura, the HMNZS Canterbury is on its way.
Stuart-Black said the first priority for Kaikoura is water supply: more is being transported in today and the fire service is taking in a water treatment plant.
The transfer of supplies has so far been mainly through helicopter air support; Canterbury will be delivering larger loads, as well as evacuating tourists and locals who want to leave.
By midday on Tuesday, 34 people had been airlifted out, including some relocated for medical reasons. The airlifts will continue:
With the amount of helicopter trips, we’ll be able to get quite a number of people out today.
Some locals in Kaikoura have taken tourists into their homes, she said.
Evacuations in Wellington region
In Wellington, pounded by heavy rains and strong winds in the wake of the quakes, roads – including state highways – are flooded, leaving the capital city effectively cut off.
Residents in the Hutt Valley region of Wellington are being evacuated from their homes after the Waiwhetu Stream broke its banks.
Flooding closes major routes in and out of #Wellington with motorists warned to stay off the roads https://t.co/EwjsO0OtIH pic.twitter.com/w0KXARQevz
— Stuff.co.nz News (@NZStuff) November 14, 2016
Some Lower Hutt properties are being evacuated due to flooding on the Waiwhetu Stream. We'll have the latest weather news on our show 2night pic.twitter.com/1va1iWwl09
— Checkpoint (@CheckpointRNZ) November 14, 2016
Radio NZ reports that 40 tourists have been flown out of Kaikoura by military helicopter.
But with hundreds still waiting, it could take up to four days to get everyone out.
UPDATE || One of our Seasprite helicopters is also heading south to assist in the earthquake evacuation // #eqnz #Kaikoura #earthquake pic.twitter.com/RbcVZhUC2a
— NZ Defence Force (@NZDefenceForce) November 14, 2016
Updated
Meanwhile, the aftershocks continue, this just a few minutes ago near the beleaguered town of Kaikoura:
M3.6 quake causing light shaking near Kaikoura https://t.co/9YOnwvj7e1
— GeoNet (@geonet) November 14, 2016
My colleague Eleanor Ainge Roy is in Hanmer Springs, close to the epicentre of the quake.
She sends this latest on the situation in Kaikoura:
The town has two days of clean water supplies after the council’s water tank sustained major damage. Helicopters are flying in water bladders and engineers to try to re-establish a clean supply.
People in Kaikoura have been told to urgently conserve the existing supply and use it for drinking only. Food and fuel resources are also low, though local restaurants and residents have donated much of their own stores to the relief effort, including seafood and crayfish.
The local marae (Maori meeting house) cooked and served meals for up to 700 people on Monday, Radio NZ reported, and planned to do the same again on Tuesday.
The New Zealand Transport Authority said it was working with contractors to urgently clear an inland route to the town in the coming days, though their efforts have been hampered by frequent aftershocks – up to 800 since the quake, according to GeoNet.
The New Zealand military dispatched helicopters from Wellington, and HMNZS Canterbury left Auckland on Monday night stocked with relief supplies. Its journey south was slowed by severe weather and rough seas.
“From all directions Kaikoura has essentially been isolated,” said Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the acting commander of New Zealand’s joint forces. “There’s a real imperative to support the town because it can’t support itself.”
Webb said the military planned to begin using four NH90 helicopters that could each transport about 18 people out of the town at a time.
“We’re going to get as many people and belongings out as quickly as we can,” Webb said.
It was estimated HMNZS Canterbury may be able to reach Kaikoura by lunchtime on Wednesday.
A major relief effort is currently underway to reach thousands of people still stranded in the wake of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that has left roads blocked across parts of the South and North islands.
Military helicopters and a navy ship have been dispatched to rescue about 1,000 tourists, along with residents, who are stuck in the coastal town of Kaikoura, South Island, which has been cut off from land access.
Meanwhile, torrential rain and gale-forced winds have hampered the relief efforts and further disrupted life for many New Zealanders, with the capital, Wellington, flooded.
We’ll have all the latest news here as the day unfolds.
If you’re affected by the aftermath of the earthquake, please do contact us in the comments below or you can reach me directly on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
Very interesting and maybe significant is that the unusually close Perigee full moon was right overhead when the first quake struck. Tidal forces pulling on an unstable crust? Very sorry that NZ is having to go through all this upheaval again.