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A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near New Caledonia, triggering unpredictable storm surge warnings off New Zealand’s coastal areas.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned of the danger to swimmers, surfers, fishers, small boats and anyone in or near water near some shores in the part top of the North Island.
He raised the tsunami watch shortly after 9 am, but advised people to take precautions in coastal areas for the rest of the day due to the continued risk of “unexpected large currents.”
“Based on the most recent modeling and declining tsunami amplitudes in the North Cape, Great Barrier Island and the Eastern Cape, the tsunami threat has passed for New Zealand.”
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The quake struck about 415 kilometers east of New Caledonia at 2:20 a.m. Thursday (NZT) at a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS reported. Waves of up to 29 cm were recorded in the country, reported the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. So far there have been no reports of damage.
The key New Zealand coastal areas threatened were: Ahipara Bay to Bay of Islands, Great Barrier Island and from Matata to Tolaga Bay. People in these areas had been advised to get out of the water, from beaches and coastal areas, and from ports, rivers and estuaries.
GNS Science seismic service officer Dr. John Ristau said they had seen tsunami arrivals of up to 60 centimeters on three tide gauges: North Cape, Great Barrier Island and East Cape.
Denise Piper / Things
An estuary in Northland’s Teal Bay starts out calm and then has a rush of water on Thursday morning.
“The largest arrival was a little over 60cm on Great Barrier Island, and we’ve seen 20-25cm off North Cape and East Cape. We continue to monitor the tide gauges and provide the latest data to NEMA. “
Stuff Reporter Denise Piper was able to see the storm surge at the entrance to the estuary at Teal Bay, north of Whangārei, around 7:30 am.
“The water came in, like a big wave that lasted three minutes, then came back out, and the cycle lasted about 15 minutes,” Piper said.
But conditions didn’t stop some people from going surfing, and two surfers took a jet ski to a nearby surf spot.
When the locals told the couple about the warning, they responded that they would be fine if they stayed at sea and said they were looking for an adventure.
NEMA said that some coastal areas could experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable swells on the coast. However, he said it was not necessary to evacuate other areas unless local civil defense authorities advised him directly.
It issued a warning that waves could start hitting New Zealand shores between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. NEMA said waves could start reaching the North Cape around 4.20 a.m. and as late as 8 a.m. at Whanganui.
A Coastguard spokeswoman said it had relayed messages through its VHF marine channels in Far North, Bay of Islands, Hauraki, Hokianga, West Coast, Whitianga, Whakatane, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay to warn boats of the threat.
“At this stage, the Coast Guard is not aware of any incidents related to the overloads, however, the Coast Guard Operations Center is monitoring the situation.”
The US Tsunami Warning System previously said that there was a tsunami watch for American Samoa and that there was potential for tsunamis in other regions, including Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand.
NEMA decides any official warning status for New Zealand.
Kelly Murphy, owner of The Huts accommodation in Ahipara, said she had woken up around 4 a.m. to the sound of the waves crashing, but nothing out of the ordinary.
“It seems to be a bit wild and there are some waves, but nothing alarming at the moment,” Murphy said.
All The Huts guests had been notified of the tsunami warning, Murphy said and an emergency plan had been put in place in case something happened.
“I have family in Ruakaka so I also called them and told them not to go down to the estuary today just in case.”
In the Bay of Islands, Darryl from Days Out Fishing Charters was fishing in the water.
“At the moment everything is fine,” he said, and planned to stay in the water.
