New Zealand earthquakes
The following is an e-mail I recieved from my niece in NZ:-
We're getting a better idea of how the earthquake has changed the country. GNS says the east coast of the lower North Island has shifted west by up to five centimetres. Meanwhile, the Wellington and Kapiti
regions have been shunted up to six centimetres north. The north-east tip of the South Island has moved by more than two metres and lifted almost a metre. Cape Campbell is now two metres closer to the North Island than it was before. Kaikoura has moved a metre
and lifted 70-centimetres, and Hanmer Springs has jumped half a metre east. Christchurch and Banks Peninsula are now about two centimetres further south than where they were before Monday's earthquake. Some parts of the west coast of the South Island have
shifted east by up to 10-centimetres. But the top of the North Island, and bottom of the South Island, have moved mere millimetres. GNS scientists used global positioning systems to reveal the shifts - and they say the results are astonishing. All this movement
happened in just seconds.
I have been lucky enough to have visited NZ on several occasions, and have also been to most of the places mentioned, and I find the forces of nature almost unbelieveable.
There has also been over 1500 earthquakes in the last 2 weeks, some quite strong. Mrs W and myself are booked to go again in February, getting a tad worried I must say!
Comments
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It has been interesting to read about the NZ CC Motorhome Tour that recently took place. The last story, in the Stories section on here gives you some idea of what it's like to actually be there when an earthquake happens. It was good to hear that the rest of the trip went well and everyone was safe even if the ending was unexpected.
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I have been lucky enough to have visited NZ on several occasions, and have also been to most of the places mentioned, and I find the forces of nature almost unbelieveable
agree with you entirely, a few centimetres may not sound much, but if it happens a few times it can change the whole appearance of a place, and affect human lives to a greater or lesser degree
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We also have been a few times, beautiful country. Whilst there we were going to hike with others to Mt Tongariro but it started erupting just after we set off, needless to say our guide cancelled the hike. As it was it growled and smoked for a few days, but gave us a reality check just how fragile the country is.
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Weve only visited the once and hired a car travelling and camping on both North & South Islands. For us the most beautiful place we have visited in the whole world. So we were devastated to learn of the devastation to Christchurch a couple of years ago and now to Kaikura too. So sad.
But we are determined to save enough to do the trip again and this time to stay longer hiring a MH if we can.
For us it is the area between Queenstown and Te Anau which we love most. We are determined to see Milford Sound on a nice day! Both times we visited before it was very wet and very foggy!
TF
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Our daughter lives in the North Island about an hour and half south of Auckland. She felt the quake, she didn't feel the Christchurch one. Friends of theirs lost half the water from their swimming pool, located in the ground, some aren't and that's hundreds
of Kms away. We visit often it is a beautiful part of the world and ponder joining her and her family. Our son arrive in Christchurch in early January to tour the South Island, his girlfriend hasn't done south, before visiting his sister towards the end of
the month.Very interesting reading.
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Well we're all sitting on moving plates, some more active than others, Italy is also on the move. Iceland has some weak spots too.
Iceland is on the line of the North American/European plate. You can stand with one foot in Europe and one in North America. It sounds more impressive than it is. The fissure just looks like a fairly innocuous crack in the ground.
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