FRIDAY MAY 24 1968

Location: Inangahua
Date (NZ Standard Time): Friday, May 24 1968 at 5:24 am

Epicentre: 41.76°S, 172.04°E
Focal Depth: 12 km
Maximum Intensity: MM 10
Magnitude: M_W 7.1
Casualties: 2 killed
GeoNet Summary:DetailsMapsShaking MapsMost of New Zealand felt the earthquake that struck the town of Inangahua in 1968. It was centred about 15 km north of Inangahua, but intensities of MM 4 and greater were recorded as far south as Otago and in almost all of the North Island, with the exception of areas in the north-east. Close to Inangahua, where intensities reached at least MM 10, the quake caused widespread destruction. Fortunately, the area’s small population meant casualties were minor, but most structures, including wooden houses, roads and bridges, suffered extensive damage in the quake. Underground pipes broke under the strain, and railway lines twisted and buckled, derailing two trains. One hundred kilometres of track later had to be replaced.The quake also triggered large landslides in the surrounding slopes, one of which claimed the lives of two people. Inangahua and Westport were evacuated when another massive slip dammed the Buller River, raising the river 30 m above its normal level, causing fears that a sudden failure of the dam would flood these downstream settlements. Due to the number of roads and bridges that had collapsed or been blocked in the quake, including the newly constructed Buller Gorge Highway, 235 people had to be airlifted to safety.Numerous aftershocks followed the quake, including 15 that were magnitude 5 or greater and occurred within a month of the initial shock.

I remember this day. At the time, in my lifetime this was the strongest New Zealand earthquake. We felt it in Vogeltown, Wellington where I was living. The images in the Evening Post that day and The Dominion the next were disturbing: A car fallen into a hole in the road; twisted railway tracks; roads subsided; bridges damaged; waterpipes broken; and three people dead.

We were used to earthquakes at this time. At school we had earthquake drill in primary and intermediate school. I don't remember having them at secondary school but I do remember, at St Patrick's college in the 5th form (1968 as well), an earthquake striking during the day and the prefab classroom we were in bucking and bouncing, scattering books, desks and students everywhere including I'm pleased to say the sarcastic English- teaching priest who had make fun of my précis of "The Admirable Crichton" when I said that one of the characters cracked epigrams. There was a continual flurry of earthquakes in Wellington through the 1960's and early 1970's kind of like what Canterbury is experiencing now. We got to know the signs. I vividly remember on day, at home when all the birds in the tress fell silent. The chickens in our henhouse stopped their clucking. The cats and our dog disappeared and then I heard a roaring sound. Our house was in a street that ran down towards Berhampore with a view right down to Island Bay.

Standing at the roadside looking downhill I could see the road rippling like a wave coming toward me. It was kind of like someone grabbing a long, narrow bit of carpet and, holding it at one end, flicking it to send a rolling ripple all the way along. I stood transfixed until around me the ground shook and I could hear the house banging and bumping. It was scary.

A couple of years later, in Taranaki Street where my parents lived in an apartment atop a small 3-storey brick and concrete building, I remember one early evening when an earthquake struck that one of the walls was actually moving outwards as the building was swaying. Instead of just crumbling the bricks and the mortar holding them together had some kind of elasticity that allowed them to bend rather than shatter. I truly believe that we were lucky as if the intensity had been greater I'm sure that the wall would have collapsed carrying away my mother and sister who were sitting on a couch placed against it.

I truly feel for the Christchurch residents. Not only have they had their lives shattered by the two main earthquakes but the continual worry from on-going quakes must be a nightmare.